NBA Draft 2018: 5 best lead guards available

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG Paints Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

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PITTSBURGH, PA – MARCH 17: Collin Sexton /

2. Collin Sexton

Sexton was the absolute heartbeat of his college team at Alabama. Teams looking for someone to galvanize their roster would be smart to give the athletic point guard a long look in this year’s draft.

In college, Sexton could get to the rim at will. He might not be able to get there quite so easily at the next level, but he’s still going to be a nightmare to defend off the dribble. Once he gets in the lane he has the length and athleticism to finish over quality defenders.

The question about Sexton is whether or not he’s closer to being Russell Westbrook or Wade Baldwin. One is a perennial All-Star while the other got cut after one season in Memphis. Where he ends up on the spectrum will depend on his development as a 3-point shooter and a playmaker for others.

There’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about his playmaking skills. He wasn’t surrounded by a great cast for the Crimson Tide but he clearly tried to get his teammates involved. Sexton only went one on five when it was clear his teammates couldn’t do the job.

The 3-point shooting is a larger question. He only shot 33 percent in college and his NBA coaching staff may need to break his shot down before they can reconstruct it entirely.

Collin Sexton will have a lot of fans in the NBA, but he’ll need to work hard to make sure he can become an efficient scorer. Despite the questions, his athleticism and competitive spirit will land him in the lottery.

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