R ROOKIE (COLLEGE STATS)∂20 wins ∂Miss the playoffs ∂The Cavs will win the lottery for the—gulp—fourth time in a decade.StartersCollin Sexton’s defensive rating last
season was 118.1. The good news:
There were two players who were
worse. The bad news: They were
both teammates (Cedi Osman and
Tristan Thompson). Yes, the Cavaliers had the
THREE WORST DEFENDERS IN THE NBA, which
goes a long way to explaining Cleveland’s team
rating of 117.6, the worst in history.
In May the Cavs hired coach John Beilein, a
66-year-old with no pro experience. What he does
have is a reputation, burnished at Michigan, for
leading teams with stifling defenses. Last year’s
Wolverines gave up 58.3 points per game, second
best in the nation. Sexton had the misfortune of
playing point guard, the league’s most star-stacked
position. This year he’ll share that spot with
another newcomer. For the Cavs to avoid the cellar,
Beilein’s system will have to translate—and No. 5
pick Darius Garland will have to have a smoother
transition to the NBA than Sexton. —Joe Wilkinson3
TELLING NUMBER
DARIUS
GARLAND (R)
16.2 PPG; 3.8 RPG;
53.7 FG%; 47.8 3FG%PG
COLLIN
SEXTON
16.7 PPG; 3.0 APG;
43.0 FG%; 40.2 3FG%SG
CEDI
OSMAN
13.0 PPG; 4.7 RPG;
42.7 FG%; 34.8 3FG%SF
TRISTAN
THOMPSON
10.9 PPG; 10.2 RPG;
0.7 SPG; 52.9 FG%CENEMY LINES
A rival scout weighs inIt’s going to be tough
for John Beilein. In
college you have
42 days, 30 practices
before the first game.
In the pros you have,
like, two weeks of
practice.... They
have those two young
guards, COLLIN SEXTONand DARIUS GARLAND,
who are not passers
or facilitators, and
they will probably play
together. I think it’s
going to be bad. It’s
a really misshapen,
we’re-trying-to-lose
type of roster....
Sexton made some
improvements as the
season went on. I didn’t
see point guard play
out of him. He was ascorer who had a ball in
his hands a lot. Nobody
cheered for himself
more in blowouts than
Collin Sexton.... If
LARRY NANCE were on the
right team, he could
be a huge asset. He
can guard multiple
positions, he fits in well
in almost any offense.
To me, the next step is
improved shooting and
being able to drive ona closeout.... Garland
was great in individual
workouts. He had some
people believing he
could be a big-time
shotmaker, with a
Lillard/Kyrie–type
dynamic game. Can he
make good decisions?
We’ll have to find
out.... JORDAN CLARKSON
can come off the bench
and score. You can run
plays and offense forhim. He can help you
win close games. Pair
him with a good point
guard, it helps a lot....
KEVIN LOVE is still a pretty
tough cover. He can
shoot, he can score
downstairs. His mobility
isn’t great. When he
played last year, he
could still impact the
game. Is he going to be
able to carry a team?
That’s a stretch.Projected Lineup
JORDAN
CLARKSON
16.8 PPG; 3.3 RPG;
44.8 FG%; 32.4 3FG%SG
LARRY
NANCE JR.
9.4 PPG; 8.2 RPG;
1.5 SPG; 52.0 FG%CBench
PF
KEVIN
LOVE
17.0 PPG; 10.9 RPG;
38.5 FG%; 36.1 3FG%Crystal Ball: 85
JASON MILLER/GETTY IMAGES (SEXTON)
Cavaliers
CLEVELAND
2018 – 19 RECORD 19– 63 5th in Central
COACH JOHN BEILEIN 1st season with CavaliersTHE
EAST