The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Rookie Sexton turning some heads
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has talked about the first time he watched Collin Sexton in action.
It was the summer of 2016. Sexton was on is way to being a senior at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Georgia.
The 6-foot-2 guard nicknamed “The Young Bull” was playing in a summer AAU game on a team coached by NBA star Chris Paul.
Sexton had put himself on the national recruiting map earlier that year, when he earned Most Valuable Player honors as starting guard on the USA Basketball U17 team that beat Turkey to win the FIBA world championship.
Lue, who played 14 years in the NBA before he got into coaching, was mightily impressed by what he saw.
“I was taking to (University of North Carolina coach) Roy Williams and I told him, ‘That’s the best player right there, Collin Sexton.’ “
Fast forward two years, and Sexton is embarking on his NBA career wearing a Cleveland uniform and learning the ropes from Lue.
The Cavaliers grabbed Sexton with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Alabama. With the Crimson Tide, Sexton averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in what turned out to be his lone college season.
“I like his heart, his toughness, his work ethic, his will to win,” Lue said of Sexton on Sept. 24 during the Cavs media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
“When the game is on the line, he the guy,” Lue added. “You want the ball in his hands. I’m excited to have him here.”
Sexton turned more heads playing for the Cavs team in the NBA Summer League. He averaged 19.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in seven games.
The Cavs probably will use 11-year veteran George Hill as the starting point guard to open the 2018-19 season. However, all signs point toward Sexton playing major minutes as a rookie.
“He’s helping me learn how to run the team,” Sexton said of Hill after practice Sept. 26.
Sexton showed just the trace of a smile when a reporter asked how he felt after his second NBA practice.
“Coach Avery’s practices usually lasted two-and-a half to three hours. That helped me,” Sexton said referring to Alabama coach and former NBA player Avery Johnson.
Sexton said he spent much of the summer in Cleveland, playing informally with some of his new teammates. He also participated in precamp workouts in Miami, organized by Cavs center-forward Kevin Love.
Love was continuing a custom started by LeBron James during his second stint with the Cavs. James left the Cavs in July to sign as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I felt it was pretty good, working out and being with the guys and trying to learn each other’s games,” Sexton said.
Thus far in training camp, Sexton has worked mostly with the second unit. He has spent some time running with the starters.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said.
Solidly built at 190 pounds, Sexton appears to have the physical tools required of an NBA guard. In the Summer League, he earned rave reviews for his total floor game, forcefulness in taking the ball to the basket and defensive intensity.
“I can change pace in the pick-and-roll and situations like that,” Sexton said. “In the open floor, I use my speed to my advantage.
Sexton’s confidence and aggressive attitude were evident when asked if he felt as if he was following in the footsteps of former Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving.
Irving, the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Duke, played six seasons for the Cavs and made the gamewinning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. He forced a trade to the Boston Celtics before the 2017-18 season.
The same as Irving, Sexton is wearing No. 2 on his Cavs uniform.
“I’m not following in nobody’s footsteps,” Sexton said on mediaday.“I’mgoingtocomein and play my style of game.”
The Cavs play the first of four preseason games on Oct. 2 in Boston against the Celtics.