The second-year Cleveland guard talked about his relationship with Paul and how the veteran inspires him both on and off the court.
Chris Paul has thoroughly embraced his role as a mentor.
In his first season in Oklahoma City, he’s taken Shai Gilgeous-Alexander under his wing.
Although he jokingly called himself a “burden” to Gilgeous-Alexander at times, Paul said he’s started to see moments where SGA “gets it” and pointed to a specific instance in the Rising Stars Challenge where Gilgeous-Alexander hustled to get the ball inbounds and up the court because he’s seen Paul do it in games.
But Paul’s mentorship extends far beyond his own team and it’s been going on much longer than just this year.
Second-year Cavaliers guard, Collin Sexton, sat down with HoopsHype at MTN DEW’s Courtside Studios in Chicago during All-Star Weekend. He told Alex Kennedy that Paul is one of the veterans that’s had the biggest impact on him both on and off the court.
“My relationship with Chris goes back to high school when I played on his teams (Team CP3). Ever since then, we’ve just been building that relationship. I talk to him every week and just pick his brain and figure out how he feels about certain plays and things that I can incorporate into my game. It’s cool.”
In addition to Paul, Sexton also said he was influenced by Kevin Love and Avery Johnson because, “those guys, they’ve been where I want to get to. I just take bits and pieces of their game so that I can learn from them and understand the game even more.”
Sexton played in the Rising Stars Game, scoring 21 points in 20 minutes in Team USA’s 151-131 win over Team World.
Collin Sexton opened up to HoopsHype about his development, relationship with Chris Paul, his in-depth chat with Kobe Bryant and more.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton has made strides during his second season in the NBA, as he’s now averaging 19.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 threes and 1.0 steal (while shooting 46.0 percent from the field).
Last weekend, Sexton shined in the Rising Stars Challenge, finishing the event with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 threes and a number of highlight plays. HoopsHype had a chance to sit down with Sexton at MTN DEW’s Courtside Studios in Chicago and discuss his development, the Cavs’ recent acquisition of Andre Drummond, his off-court interests and more.
When you’re participating in All-Star Weekend and experiencing the festivities, how inspiring is that and does it make you want to become an All-Star even more?
Collin Sexton: Oh yeah, it’s definitely exciting. It just gives me even more fuel, even more motivation. That all rushes back to me. I’m hungry for it. I want to experience this again, so I’m just going to work that much harder so I can become a real All-Star.
How much do you feel your game has developed from when you entered the league to now? How much progress have you made?
CS: A lot. A lot. It’s night and day. I feel like I’ve gotten better in pretty much every aspect of the game and I’m just going to continue to work, continue to get better, continue to watch film and continue to do all of the little things that are going to help me in the long run.
Your Cavaliers just recently acquired Andre Drummond prior to the trade deadline. What do you make of that acquisition and the impact Drummond can have on this team?
CS: It’s amazing, just knowing that we have a big man down there who’s going to block shots, run the floor and dunk. It’s amazing, and it’ll allow us on defense to be a lot more aggressive and be into the ball because we know that we have a big guy back there who can block shots. It’ll be good. Also, he cleans up and rebounds everything.
What’s it been like getting to know each other and trying to develop that chemistry midseason?
CS: He’s really cool. He’s cool. I really like him. I’m still trying to understand his game because I’ve only had two games with him, so… you know how it goes. We haven’t had a practice either!
I don’t think most people realize just how little practice time there is in the NBA.
CS: Yeah, teams really don’t have time to practice. When you combine the practices with the 82 games, that’s a lot when you think about it. At first, getting used to the schedule was an adjustment. Coming from college, you only play about 30 games. Then, you come to the NBA and you’re playing 82, so it was night and day. But you really start to understand your body and understand the things that you can and can’t do – like you have to make sure that you’re getting a lot of sleep, getting a lot of rest, eating the right foods and stuff like that. It was an adjustment, but you definitely get used to it.
Who were some of the veterans who had the biggest impact on you and mentored you the most – whether it’s on or off the court.
CS: K-Love, Chris Paul and Coach Avery Johnson. Those guys, they’ve been where I want to get to. I just take bits and pieces of their game so that I can learn from them and understand the game even more. My relationship with Chris goes back to high school when I played on his teams (Team CP3). Ever since then, we’ve just been building that relationship. I talk to him every week and just pick his brain and figure out how he feels about certain plays and things that I can incorporate into my game. It’s cool.
Mouse Jones, Spice Adams and Collin Sexton at MTN DEW Courtside Studios (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for MTN DEW)
Which point guards did you look up to the most when you were growing up?
CS: My favorites were Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. Those two are my guys. I got a chance to sit down with Kobe and talk to him for about 40-to-45 minutes, just picking his brain. It was cool. I’m [glad] that I got to meet him before the tragedy. But it was cool, just being able to sit down with Kobe Bryant – one of the best to ever play – and being able to ask him pretty much anything. We talked about everything.
What are some aspects of your game that you’d like to improve the most?
CS: I want to continue to become a better playmaker. Also, I want to continue to just lead – leading by example and leading my teammates in the right direction so that we can just continue to win more games.
Off the court, what was it like adjusting to Cleveland over the last year and a half?
CS: It’s nice! I like Cleveland because it’s very cool and very slow motion. The only thing is, it’s just so cold. It feels like Chicago. I’m from Atlanta, so that’s definitely been an adjustment – you already know.
Over the years, I’ve talked to some other Cavs players about how they felt like the team was constantly being overlooked and not getting any national recognition because they played in a smaller market. Do you feel the same way?
CS: Oh yeah, I definitely feel like that, but that just means we need to have a different chip on our shoulder, so that we can do what it takes to get that recognition and get out there. I’ve been having a chip on my shoulder all my life and I’m going to continue to. That’s just how I play; I play hard. Each night when I go out there, I’m going to give it my all. That’s it.
What are some of your off-court interests?
CS: I’m just a very chill person. I like music, movies and relaxing with my family. I’m not really into going out and stuff like that. I don’t do that, I just chill.
Favorite movie and favorite artist?
CS: My favorite movie is “Drumline” and my favorite artists, I would say, are J. Cole and Chance the Rapper. I got to talk to Chance last night for 10-15 minutes after the [Rising Stars] game, which was cool.
After initially being left off of the NBA ‘Rising Stars’ rosters for the 2020 All-Star weekend in Chicago, former Alabama guard Collin Sexton has been added in place of an injured Tyler Herro. The former No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by …
After initially being left off of the NBA ‘Rising Stars’ rosters for the 2020 All-Star weekend in Chicago, former Alabama guard Collin Sexton has been added in place of an injured Tyler Herro.
The former No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers has been added to ‘Team USA’ where he will be teammates with Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Trae Young and numerous other talented young NBA stars.
Sexton has had quite a difficult time finding success on the Cavaliers as the team was stripped of its strongest talent shortly before he was drafted.
The All-Star selection is quite an honor, regardless of how it came to be, and it will definitely be a key piece on Sexton’s resume when it comes time for him to be a free agent and look for a long-term home in the NBA.
The Thunder ran their winning streak to five games on Saturday night. Oklahoma City has now won nine of their last 10.
Oklahoma City went into Cleveland and crushed the Cavs, 121-106, on Saturday night.
The Thunder remains perfect in the new year, having carried over their winning streak from December. OKC has won five in a row, and nine of their last 10.
Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma City’s win over the Cavaliers:
OKC gets balanced scoring from starters and bench
The Thunder had six players in double-digits on Saturday night. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to lead the way with 22, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari weren’t far behind, with 20 and 19, respectively.
It was Schroder’s 17th game this season in which he’s come off the bench to score 20 or more points. That’s the best in the NBA this season, as Schroder continues to make a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year.
Late in the first half, Love was in the post and being guarded by Chris Paul. Love has just a slight height advantage in that matchup.
Love was calling for the ball, but Collin Sexton kept dribbling near midcourt. Finally, Love came to the top of the key, got the ball, and then fired a low pass over to Cedi Osman, who threw up an off the mark three.
This isn’t the first instance of visible frustration on the part of Love. He was fined following an outburst on the bench during Cleveland’s loss to the Raptors on Thursday.
Kevin Love was fined $1,000 by the Cavs for this outburst on the bench, per @ShamsCharania
Kevin Love reportedly told Cavs GM Koby Altman, “Go ahead. I have plenty of money.” after Altman threatened to fine him last season after a similar outburst. pic.twitter.com/4StYaWJIbq
Love has been rumored to be on the move, however recent reports have indicated that the Phoenix Suns, thought to be interested in adding Love, might actually want to bring in Danilo Gallinari instead.
.@gallinari8888 has 👌👌👌👌👌 three's so far tonight. (that's 5 😉)
Nerlens Noel went down in a heap under the basket during the third quarter. When chasing a ball on its way out of bounds, he stepped on the left foot of Tristan Thompson and suffered a nasty looked rolled ankle.
Kevin Love showed up Collin Sexton, and seems like he’s fed up with the situation in Cleveland.
There have been rumors swirling for weeks that Kevin Love is on his way out of Cleveland, and he sure looked like someone who was ready to leave on Saturday night, when frustrations clearly ran over for Love.
At the end of the first half of the Cavaliers’ game against the Thunder, there were 14 seconds remaining on the shot clock and 22 seconds remaining on the game clock.
The Cavaliers had a decent reason to run the clock down a bit before getting their offense going, so as not to force up too quick a shot and give the Thunder more chance on the final possession of the half.
Cavaliers rookie Collin Sexton did more than run the clock down a bit, though. He just sort of stood near half court, dribbling and dribbling. Love, who was being guarded by the much-shorter-than-him Chris Paul, got completely fed up. He called for the ball in the post, was ignored by Sexton … so Love kept walking toward the young guard.
Love then demanded Sexton toss him the ball. Sexton gave it to him, and Love fired a furious two-handed pass to Cedi Osman, who couldn’t make much happen and hurled up a long 3 … and actually got bailed out by a foul call.
This is tough. Sexton will argue that he was trying to run the clock down to get a final look. Still, his lack of awareness is rough here: Love has a much shorter player guarding him in the post. That has to be the look.
Sexton didn’t give it a look. Sexton made his mind up, until Love came out and showed him up. No matter who’s at fault, it seems that Love’s time in Cleveland is running short.
NBA rookie Darius Garland is averaging 2.8 assists per game, which is actually the lowest for a team leader in the 24-second shot clock era.
Cavs rookie Darius Garland is averaging 2.8 assists per game, which is actually the lowest for a team leader in the 24-second shot clock era.
Most of the lowest figures came before 1951, which is when the current rule was introduced. Since then, the previous-worst since 1968 was by Marcelo Huertas (3.4) on the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015-16 and Tony Parker on the San Antonio Spurs (3.5) in 2017-18.
To contextualize how bad it has been for Garland, who still manages to lead the Cavaliers in assists: The rookie has produced 2.3 assists per game in a set offense, per Synergy, which ranks No. 103 so far this season. His assists per game when running his team’s transition offense (0.5) ranks No. 120 as well.
Garland is averaging just 1.0 assist per 70 possessions to Kevin Love, which is quite a bit lower than he has received from teammates in previous years. compare that to last season when Cleveland’s Cedi Osman had 1.7 assists per 70 to Love. Love received more than three assists per 70 from LeBron James during their final two seasons together.
As @ZachLowe_NBA mentioned on his podcast, here's Kevin Love intentionally taking a three second call out of frustration When Darius Garland leads your team with 2.8 apg.. pic.twitter.com/cOt7eJ6AGM
ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently wrote about how frustrating this has clearly been for the veteran big man, citing an intentional lane violation after just planting himself in the key (via The Lowe Post):
“He still stood there even as Brett Brown was on the court yelling for a three-second violation. And then as the coup de gras, he raised his hand to call for the ball and alert, on purpose I think, alert the referees to say: ‘That’s right. I’m still here.'”
Lowe believes that was his way of trying to signal to Garland and fellow young guard Collin Sexton that he wanted more touches.
Cleveland, overall, is passing at a fairly normal rate during the 2019-20 season. They are averaging 288.4 passes per game, which ranks 16th in the league.
But only 7.2 percent of those passes have been on assists, the second-lowest rate among all teams. The Cavaliers are averaging 20.7 assists per game this season, the third-worst mark in the NBA.
HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report. Possession data is pulled from NBA Wowy.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Miami Heat with a final score of 100-124 to have a record of 4-10 to start the season. While their record may not be all that great, one player is continuing to grow into what may be the next young star. Former …
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Miami Heat with a final score of 100-124 to have a record of 4-10 to start the season.
While their record may not be all that great, one player is continuing to grow into what may be the next young star.
Former Alabama guard Collin Sexton has been putting up solid numbers in the wins and the losses.
In the loss against Miami, Sexton had 19 points and two rebounds.
So far in the 14 games played in the 2019 – 2020 season, Sexton averages 18 points per game, two assists, three rebounds and a field goal percentage of just over 44 percent.
While his name may be hidden due to the Cavaliers’ poor performances or drowned out because of the many young stars all over the league, his talent has not gone unrecognized within the organization.
Cavaliers head coach John Beilein claims that Sexton is developing into something special.
“He’s learning how to play. He’s 20 years old. He’s playing against some really good players every single day. We’re hoping that he grows daily to just be a really good backcourt player,” says Beilein, “I think last year, probably a scorer who could play point guard, but if he can ever get to be able to do both, have the mentality either way, that’s a special player.”
David Zavac, of “Fear The Sword,” argues that Sexton has the “strength and athleticism” to be a difference maker on this Cleveland team.
Zavac argues that with Sexton’s continued growth, he could be a new key play-maker on the team not named Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson.
There is plenty of time left in Sexton’s sophomore season to show signs of strong improvement, and even establish a presence on the national level across the league.
Even if the 2019-2020 season is only a small stepping stone in the right direction to what will hopefully become a long and successful career in the NBA.
Collin Sexton showed up and showed out at Madison Square Garden in New York City as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks, 108-87
On Sunday night, the former Alabama star guard Collin Sexton showed up and showed out at Madison Square Garden in New York City as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks, 108-87.
Sexton, who scored a career high 31 points, also had three assists and two rebounds. It’s Sexton’s 32nd straight game scoring in double digits. Through nine games, Sexton is averaging 18.8 points per game and is hitting 44.3% of his shots, both stats which have gone up from last season.
Sexton has also improved a lot on defense from last season. He’s been able shut down big plays, and has caused several key turnovers for the Cavaliers, something the coaches and fellow players have praised Sexton on.
"We're just playing together. We're having fun. I feel like when we're having fun, we're at our best."
Collin Sexton, who was drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft, might just be the man Cleveland has been needing as he continues to impress in his second season in the NBA.
