Redrafting the 2018 NBA Draft: Elite playmakers and modern bigs
. G. Los Angeles Clippers. Collin Sexton. 12. player. 77
You want buckets? The Young Bull provides. There aren’t many players who offer more pure entertainment value than Collin Sexton. The bravado, the showmanship. Not many 6-foot guards will stare you down, size you up, and strike like a viper. Sexton’s unwavering confidence makes him lovable, while his undeniable talent makes him bankable.
The Jazz have brought Sexton off the bench to start the next chapter of his career — and rightfully so. While Sexton’s youthful exuberance and upside place him at the center of Utah’s “rebuild,” the Jazz aren’t exactly rebuilding right now. They’re winning. Sexton is a flawed player who has a lot left to learn and a lot of room left to grow. But, when the rubber meets the road eventually, one has to imagine the Jazz will invest in Sexton as the cornerstone piece he is.
It’s harder and harder for guards like Sexton to truly thrive in the NBA. He’s small, and thus easily targeted on defense. We haven’t seen Sexton in the playoffs yet, but competitive spirit and the will to win can only carry you so far. Bigger guards and wings will hunt Sexton on switches and very frequently win the matchup.
On the flip side, Sexton’s character and winning attitude have to factor into his re-draft appraisal. And there’s no denying the offensive prowess. At the peak of his powers in Cleveland, before the injury, Sexton was averaging well over 20 points per game while shooting above 50 percent inside the arc. That’s no small feat for a 6-foot-and-change guard who routinely plays below the rim. Sexton has to eventually match his volume-scoring efficiency with a better eye for teammates, but there’s plenty of time for those pieces to fall into place.