The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Praise flows for Cavs rookie Sexton
Lue, Altman tout their top pick Sexton
To listen to everybody talk about Collin Sexton, it’s a wonder he went undrafted long enough June 21 for the Cavaliers to select him with the eighth pick.
The 19-year-old point guard from the University of Alabama was at Cavaliers headquarters in Independence on June 22, flanked by General Manager Koby Altman and Coach Tyronn Lue, for an introductory press conference.
“Obviously he’s a talented, talented point guard who can score and can get into the lane,” Altman said on draft night. “He’s athletic. He has upside. I think his shooting is improving.
“But what we’re trying to be about in Cleveland right now is guys with great attitude, great work ethic and then guys that really want to be here. When I called him tonight, he wanted to run here. You can tell -- he exploded out of the phone with how much he wanted to be here. That’s meaningful to us.”
Sexton’s college coach, Avery Johnson, was on a conference call earlier on June 22.
Johnson said Sexton had the talent to turn pro out of high school if not for the NBA rule requiring a player to not turn pro for a minimum of one year after finishing high school.
“He didn’t need to come to college,” Johnson said. “He’s very explosive. He checks a lot of boxes. He has a high basketball I.Q. He has the body, the stamina, the mental toughness. He has sheer speed.
“When you see this kid get up and down the floor this year, you’re going to be amazed how fast he is with the ball and even without the ball. He’s a dynamic offensive player. He can get his shot off against anybody. He’s going to be very competitive on the defensive end. I think he’s ready for the NBA. He has the potential to be a perennial AllStar.”
The flaw in Sexton’s game is his three-point shooting. He hit just 44 of 131 threepoint attempts 33.6 percent) in college. He said he has been working hard to
improve.
“Continue to get up reps and keep working on it, as well as watching a whole lot of film and watching how I was missing and which way the ball was rotating when it was coming off my fingers and stuff like that,” Sexton said at his press conference. “But I felt like now I’ve corrected that.”
Ken Berger of Bleacher Report reported the Cavaliers are still interested in acquiring Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker. The Cavaliers could send Sexton’s draft rights to Charlotte to make such a trade happen. That would make Altman sound like a car salesman in his praise of Sexton, who averaged 19.2 points and 3.6 assists a game in his only season at Alabama. Such a trade might entice LeBron James to return to the Cavaliers for the 2018-19 season rather than become a free agent.
“I think every expectation is to keep (Sexton),” Altman said.
Sexton wore “2” at Alabama and will wear the same number with the Cavaliers – Kyrie Irving’s number – assuming he isn’t
traded. He said he feels no pressure to be the next Irving for the Cavaliers.
“Not at all,” Sexton said. “Coming in, I’m going to set goals for myself and then as well there are going to be team goals set. But I feel like I’m not going to have to live up to anybody’s shoes, I’m going to come in and learn and be the best player I can be on the court as well as off the court.
“Coming in, I would say you have to make sure the guys around you are all together
in one. That’s the biggest thing because everybody has egos. Everybody’s older. Vets do certain things certain ways, so just building that relationship with your teammates that’s’ the biggest thing. You build that relationship off the court, it rolls over onto the court and good things happen after that.”
Sexton sounds like an NFL quarterback. As a point guard, he will be the QB of the Cavaliers when they are on offense.