Former Cleveland Cavaliers boss Tyronn Lue indicated that Collin Sexton’s continuous improvement is no surprise, considering he had to crack down on Sexton’s voracious work ethic by expelling him from the team’s academy when he coached the Cavs.
“Not at all because he is a hard worker,” said Lue before Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers. “From the summer championship of his first year until when we got to the pre-season and the six games I coached, his shot was getting better and better. Now he’s really throwing good at middle and 3 basketball, so he really improved that. Scoring in basketball was his thing when he left college and he’s doing it at a high level now. “
Sexton was drafted in June 2018 by Cavs, but only had Lue as his head coach for six games before Lue was fired after the team’s 0-6 start.
Now in his third year, Sexton played with four different coaches at Cavaliers, but is now developing into the All-Star player the team envisioned. He averages 24.3 points, 4.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game for each of his 17 games this season.
During Sexton’s first two rugged NBA seasons, critics complained about his lack of assists, but Lue pointed out that Sexton’s dedication is now paying dividends to the Cavaliers through better court awareness.
“He really took a step forward in that department as well – reading pick-and-roll and making plays and passes, seeing different plays during development,” said Lue. “This is the type of player he is. He’s a hard worker. He’s determined. When I was here, we had to kick him off the court and kick him out of the gym because he was doing too much. That’s the person he is. He’s dedicated. He wants to be great and you can see the results of that right now. “
Lue has been aware of Sexton’s talents since the guard’s high school days and Sexton is grateful for his continued connection.
“He will always be that guy who helped me along the way and helped me become the player I am,” said Sexton. “He’s been following me for a minute. He just told me to keep going and just keep working, keep improving. “
Los Angeles Clippers de Lue defeated the Cavaliers 121-99, with Cavs hoping to return to the victory lane on Friday night in the first of their consecutive games with the Milwaukee Bucks.