Collin Sexton would not win a popularity contest among his Cavaliers teammates, according to a report in Sports Illustrated. In fact, if he threw himself a birthday party and invited only teammates he might have the cake to himself.
Chris Mannix, in a Sports Illustrated story published online Oct. 15, quotes an unnamed NBA scout saying “I think Collin Sexton is a backup and a (jerk). None of his teammates like him.
“I like (Darius) Garland. I think he plays hard. He puts pressure on you because he can shoot, he can pass, and he’s a much more willing passer. He’s not out there trying to get his stats and go home in the same way that Sexton is. I don’t think they can play those two small guards together and get a ton out of them.”
The Cavaliers open their 2021-22 season on Oct. 20 in Memphis and two nights later play their home opener against the Charlotte Hornets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Sexton led the Cavaliers in scoring last season, averaging 24.3 points a game. Despite that, according to numerous reports, the Cavs tried to trade him without success. Sexton is entering his fourth season with the Cavs and the final year of his rookie contract. The Cavaliers are reluctant to offer him a max contract he would be eligible for beginning in the 2022-23 season.
The same anonymous scout had good things to say about rookie Evan Mobley. The Cavs selected Mobley with the third pick in the NBA Draft in July.
“Evan Mobley to me seems like he’s the real deal in terms of his talent, his skillset,” Mannix quotes the scout saying. “Again, he’s a rookie who floated some in college so we’ll see how that goes.
“Not a big Jarrett Allen guy. He’s fine, but nothing crazy. (Isaac) Okoro seems like he’s got the potential to be a pretty good defender but I don’t know how much more than that.”
It is easy for scouts, coaches, general managers or players to hide behind the shield of anonymity, and I have a hard time believing some scout polled every Cavalier player to ask what each thought of Sexton.
That being said, the Sexton-Garland duo was not a winning combination the last two years. The Cavaliers won 19 games in Sexton’s rookie season and then 19 and 22 games with Sexton and Garland playing together. Both guards are 6-foot-1 and are challenged to defend taller guards.
• Las Vegas is not enamored with the Cavaliers’ forest of seven-footers. According to Actionnetwork.com, the over-under for the Cavaliers is 27.5. The only teams projected to win fewer games are the Pistons (24.5), Magic (22.5) and Thunder (22.5).
Vegas was spot-on last year when it set the over-under for the Cavaliers at 22.5. The Cavs finished 22-50. The five-game bump from the oddsmakers partially reflects the NBA planning for a full 82-game schedule this season. The novel coronavirus forced the NBA to reduce last season to 72 games. The 2019-20 season was abruptly halted in mid-March of 2020.
I didn’t know that
… until I read my Snapple bottle cap.
The tiny pocket in jeans was originally designed for pocket watches. … The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps. … Adult humans are the only mammals that can’t breathe and swallow at the same time. … In Switzerland, it is illegal to own only one guinea pig because they are prone to loneliness. … Fresh apples float because 25 percent of their volume is air…A pigeon’s feathers are heavier than its bones.
![By DOUG FEINBERG NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark admitted she was a bit nervous before being chosen with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, even though it was no surprise. “I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in,” Clark said. The former Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career, and she will now try and help revive the Indiana franchise […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AP24106856252335.jpg?w=525 "By DOUG FEINBERG NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark admitted she was a bit nervous before being chosen with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, even though it was no surprise. “I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it’s taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs, but more than anything, just trying to soak it in,” Clark said. The former Iowa star became a household name among basketball fans during her record-breaking college career, and she will now try and help revive the Indiana franchise […]")