Alabama coach Avery Johnson: Collin Sexton can be “perennial All-Star”
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June 26, 2018Unless you paid attention to college basketball last season, you may not know much about the Collin Sexton, who the Cleveland Cavaliers selected with the eighth overall pick in last Thursday’s NBA Draft. If that’s the case, we have you covered.
We caught up with Roll Bama Roll’s Brent Taylor in order to get to know the Cavs newest point guard, a rookie that spent just one season with the Crimson Tide.
What made Sexton go from an unranked prospect two years ago to the No. 8 pick in the NBA Draft?
Truthfully? He got into the right camps before his senior year of high school and everyone learned he existed. Once people started seeing his game, his recruiting exploded. He could have been a first-round pick straight out of high school were it not for the laws that prevent that.
What are his best skills and things that he can make an immediate impact within the NBA?
He’s a scorer and a playmaker, particularly at slashing into the lane. His ball handling is top-notch, and acceleration from a standstill is other-worldly. So he can be standing outside the three-point line looking one direction, then all of a sudden is behind his defender on the other side before the hapless victim even has time to react.
Cavs fans fell in love with rookie Cedi Osman last season because of his heart, celebrations, and ability to always give max effort, even if he isn’t the most skilled player. What will make Cleveland fans fall in love with their newest rookie?
Similarly, Sexton is a high-energy, ultra-competitive player. The difference, however, is that Sexton is also extremely skilled. Consistent? No. But oh is he skilled. When you combine that kind of natural talent and athleticism with a fiery, hard-working drive, you have all the makings of a fan favorite.
He seems to be known for having one heckuva motor. Although he shot just 33.6 percent from three-point range during his one and only season at Alabama, does his shooting form allow him to improve his shot from beyond the arc with more practice and coaching or is it just is what it is at this point?
Form-wise, he’s got as good a stroke as anyone out there, and can even hit fade-away threes. His bigger issue is his shot selection (a theme I’ll probably hit on again before this QA is over). He seems to have a tendency to start to feel like he has to be the one to take over a game, and ends up starting to push his shots, even if they’re bad ones. And once he misses a couple, he starts pushing even harder to try and make up for it.
Same with his 77.8 percent mark from the free-throw line. Can that improve with more practice and coaching or is it just is what it is?
Man, free throws are all a mental thing. Like golf. I won’t even pretend to guess Collin’s psychology in that regard. I can, however, tell you that playing for Alabama in the last decade has the ability to inflict a curse on players. Guys that are 80-90 percent free-throw shooters in high school wind up 50-60 percent at Alabama. What changed in the free-throw shots from high school to college? Nothing. Except for some witch doctor voodoo probably. Hopefully, the hex wears off once he gets away from the program.
If it ends up spreading and infecting the Cavs too… well… I’m sorry.1
Avery Johnson considered him one of the fastest basketball players he’s ever seen. In what ways does he use that quickness to his advantage?
As I said above, he can go from a standstill to making a layup in the blink of an eye. A defender that’s even slightly off balance or not paying attention will be buttered toast before the butter even has time to melt. On top of that, it makes him a menace as a defender around the perimeter. You’ll always know that at any given time, an opponent’s offensive possession around the arc will end up as a lone breakaway down the court. And if the opposing team is quick enough to get back on defense after a turnover, Sexton is more than adept, and even seems to revel in, making some fun, highlight-reel passes in the breakaway to turn a defender around and get someone on his team a nice slam.
Johnson also made it known that Sexton isn’t afraid of the big stage, which seemed to be the case with the way the point guard led team his near the end of the regular season, securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Does he play his best at the most important and crucial times?
That does seem to be the case. Some of his best games were in the tightest of situations. I’m sure you’ve heard of his 40-point outing while playing 3-on-5 against Minnesota and nearly winning the game singlehandedly.2 When the team was down to single elimination in the SEC tournament (and unlikely to get an NCAA berth without a solid showing), Sexton had some of the best games of his one-season career, including a game-winner at the buzzer against Texas A&M.
Without Kyrie, one of the Cavs’ biggest needs this past season was a point guard that looked to push the ball and create easy points in transition. That seems to be one of Sexton’s most well known strong suits. Is this the case?
Absolutely, The chaotic transition game is where he’s at his best. I kind of covered that above in the speed question. He thrives in that setting, where big highlight plays are the norm.
With pick and rolls being such a big part of today’s NBA, that seems to be one of Sexton’s best strong suits, at least offensively. Although he struggles with his three-point shot, how does he do so well in the pick and roll, especially if defenses can continuously go under screens since they’re not worried about his shot from long distance?
Again, pure speed. A defender might guess he’s going to come around a screen and make a break for the basket, but it ends up not mattering. He still beats them around the edge. And he’s good enough at driving in and drawing a double or triple team and then dishing to a big man in the paint in order to keep them honest.
Besides him not being able to knock down three-pointers on a consistent basis, him only being 6-foot-1 could make things tough when he tries to finish around the rim. Does he use his body at all to create space or have a good floater-type game around the basket and/or a nice Eurostep to be able to make shots against taller opponents?
Oh, he’s like magic under the basket. From underhand reverse lay-ups to windmills to just running straight into a jumping defender then hitting a fade away, he’s excellent at finding a way to get a shot off.
When running in transition or driving to the basket, is he able to find an open teammate easily?
I think I covered this question already. Short answer: Yes. He’s great at pulling some wizardry as a passer in transition or while driving. That said, I wouldn’t call him an all-around great passer. As a true point guard/distributor at the top of the key, he’s got some work cut out for him.
As his team’s leading scorer and best player, he averaged just 3.6 assists in 29.9 minutes per game while being Bama’s main ballhandler and point guard. Was that because his teammates had a tough time knocking down a shot after one of his passes or why is that the case?
Some of the blame is on his teammates. Alabama had a solid inside game with Donta Hall in the paint and Dazon Ingram/Braxton Key slashing in from the wings, but nobody on the team was really a threat to hit anything outside, except John Petty, who was a threat about every three games or so (but desperately wanted to be one in the other games). So many of his dishes to teammates on the outside wound up not falling in the basket.
At the same time, he does have a tendency to get tunnel vision at the top of the key. You can tell when he’s already decided he’s going to drive into the lane, no matter what the defense throws at him. That’s something that will need to be coached out of him. I’m hoping that playing with professional basketball players who can hit their three-pointers will help him to trust his teammates a little more.
At just 6-foot-1, his height can be a problem. How can he make up for his height, or lack thereof, defensively?
Stick to your man like white on rice when he doesn’t have the ball. Then if he does get it, take the ball before he lifts it up high. What other way is there for a short man to survive in a tall person’s sport? Sexton has the quickness, length, and energy to do it. But he will get bodied up by bigger men sometimes. It’s just the nature of the game.
Although he’s short, Sexton’s 6-foot-7 wingspan allows him to play a bit bigger than he actually is. Can his length be an issue for opposing point guards?
Yes, although it’s the length in combination with the speed that makes him excel at picking off passes or careless dribbles.
Pick and rolls are a huge part of the NBA game today, as mentioned previously. Sexton seems to struggle at navigating through screens and getting back in front of his guy. Due to that, he sometimes cheats in order to not get caught up in the screen, which can be a major problem as well. Did he improve on any of that as the season went on and opponents tried to exploit that characteristic about him?
He can get overaggressive sometimes and a team can cut back on him if he tries to cheat on the screen too early. That said, it’s not something that college teams were adept at exploiting. I don’t think I saw it enough times to say whether he improved or not as the season went on.
Due to the amount of pick and rolls nowadays, it will be hard for Sexton, who is just 6-foot-1, to switch on opposing big men, or even taller forwards and shooting guards. Can he somewhat make up for it in other ways?
When he gets matched up on a big man after a switch, he’s good at using his hands to disrupt their dribbles low and prevent the pass from ever being thrown. Like I said above, a short man has to do something when he’s covering someone that can body him backward.
Although he has a high motor, does he give max effort every second he’s on the court or does he take plays off at times? If he does take plays off, has it ever cost his team, or have his teammates or coaches gotten mad at him for doing so?
Absolutely. He’s an energizer bunny that never stops. You won’t see any effort issues from him.
Some consider Sexton to be a me-first player, which could be a major problem in the NBA, especially as a point guard. Is this the case? (Why or why not?)
He goes through streaks. When he’s thinking about it, he can be a great point guard with some nice skill at passing. When he gets into his uncontrolled “I must score” mode, he winds up charging into three defenders while his teammates stand and look at him. It’s probably his biggest shortcoming. Coaching on focusing and controlling his fire will hopefully turn it into something great, rather than a hindrance.
Cleveland general manager Koby Altman has mentioned multiple times that the Cavs love Sexton’s game and also the type of player he is off the court. Was this the same at Alabama?
He’s about as model of a guy as you could ask for. This is a guy who only went to college because you have to go for one year before the NBA will allow you to be drafted, or at least be one year out of high school before going into the draft. Despite that, he still was an academic All-American and wound up with a 4.0 GPA, helping Alabama’s basketball team to lead all our other sports in team GPA. He has no social media and stays away from chasing the headlines and is about as cordial and engaging with the media as any team could ask for.3
The Cavs drafted Sexton because they were enamored with how great of a kid he was, his work ethic, and his competitiveness. None of those technically involve basketball and some fans weren’t happy about that. How can you ease the pain a little and get Cleveland fans excited for the rookie to join the wine and gold?
He’s not perfect, and especially needs some work in refining his game as a true ball distributor at point guard while focusing his fire and not getting out of control on the court. At the same time, he’s as explosively athletic as anyone you’ll ever see to go along with extremely high-quality ball handling and a non-stop motor on the court. He has the ability to turn a game around on a steal and highlight-reel breakaway and can get his own team excited to keep playing.
If LeBron stays with the Cavs, how can he and Sexton mesh from Day 1? What parts of the rookie’s game will No. 23 like the most?
I’ve not really watched much of the Cavs and their style. Truthfully, I kind of quit the NBA after OKC stole the Supersonics out of Seattle and I never picked a new team. I think LeBron would definitely appreciate a youngster with a lot of energy out guarding the perimeter and always being a threat to start a breakaway.4
I’ve heard a lot of John Wall, Rajon Rondo, and Eric Bledsoe comparisons so far, all of which are two-way point guards in the NBA. Which current NBA player would you compare the rookie to the most and why?
Again, I’ve not been much of an NBA watcher so I’m not sure I’m qualified to make a solid comp. I have heard Eric Bledsoe mentioned quite often, as has Russell Westbrook.
What do you think Sexton’s ceiling can be as an NBA player?
With his talent and athleticism, the sky’s the limit. He could be an explosive and productive player for years if he settles into the NBA game and learns to play with other professional players. But, like with any athlete in any sport, so much depends on being in the right situation at the right time. If he doesn’t mesh with the team, he could end up being a flame-out that just can’t ever seem to get himself an open shot. Ultimately though, I have to think he’ll wind up being a top-scorer in a few years and an energetic face of the franchise.
- Note from Josh: If Kyle Korver is still a Cav next season and his free-throw percentage takes a plunge, we know who to blame. [↩]
- From Josh: Yep. A question about that is asked later in the story. [↩]
- From Josh: Sexton now has some social media, but he must have stayed away from it while at Alabama. [↩]
- From Josh: Here’s to hoping Seattle has a new NBA team sooner rather than later. It will be awesome when (not if) it happens. [↩]