@NBACrouse’s Notebook: Cleveland’s Point Guards Of The Future
Checking In On Cleveland’s Backcourt
Entering the summer of 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers were facing the reality of a probable LeBron James departure. They had shipped away Kyrie Irving less than a year earlier, and aside from Ante Zizic, the No. 8 overall pick was the only piece remaining from the trade that sent the All-Star floor general to the Boston Celtics. They used it to select Collin Sexton, who would either be their point guard of the future or a viable trade chip to acquire a veteran if James decided to stick around.
Fast-forward to the 2019 draft and the team again selected a prospect who could be considered the point guard of the future: Darius Garland.
It was a mildly surprising move, but the team was adamant the decision was not an indication of a lack of faith in Sexton, but rather a belief that both guards could play together in the backcourt. Through seven games, the 2-5 Cavaliers are testing their hypothesis.
Sexton has spent nearly three-quarters of his 217 minutes next to Garland, while Garland has seen just 32 minutes without Sexton. The early returns? Not exactly encouraging.
Sexton has played more off the ball—a decision likely fueled by his 40.2 percent mark from beyond the arc last season–and Garland has picked up nearly all the traditional point guard duties. The latter has looked like a rookie who hasn’t played meaningful basketball in nearly a year because, well, he hasn’t played meaningful basketball in nearly a year while recovering from the meniscus injury that ended his Vanderbilt career after just four full games.
Per NBA Math, Garland’s TPA is the worst among all rookies, slightly edging out Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors for the “honor.”
With the young duo on the floor, Cleveland has a net rating of minus-10.2, per NBA.com. Garland has been equally bad on both sides of the court, while Sexton’s issues come mainly on the defensive end. He was a major liability on defense last season, and that hasn’t changed this year. The shift to shooting guard hasn’t helped him get any better, as only seven players have provided more negative value on defense in 2019-20, per NBA Math’s defensive points saved.
Sexton is only 20 years old, and Garland has played just seven NBA games after missing all but five contests of his lone collegiate season due to the aforementioned injury. Perhaps the duo comes together and becomes the next Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. It’s still possible.
But right now, it seems more likely that they end up looking like Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn.
Lists, Graphs, and Random Facts
Worst Defenders This Season (via DPS)
- Luke Kennard, Detroit Pistons
- Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
- CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
- Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors
- Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers
- D’Angelo Russell, Golden State Warriors
- James Harden, Houston Rockets
- Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings
- Eric Paschall, Golden State Warriors
Worst Defenses This Season (via Defensive Rating)
- Golden State Warriors
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Houston Rockets
- Washington Wizards
- Sacramento Kings
- Charlotte Hornets
- New York Knicks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Detroit Pistons
- Portland Trail Blazers
In the past, Harden’s defensive reputation hasn’t quite been accurate.
During each of the past three seasons, Harden has actually checked in with a positive defensive box plus/minus (partially fueled by his abilities on the defensive glass), and the Rockets have finished no worse than 18th in defensive rating. They were all the way up to seventh during the 2017-18 campaign.
This season? Houston has been terrible on that end of the court, allowing an ugly 113.1 points per 100 possessions.
However, don’t expect them to dwell in the league’s defensive cellar for the entire year. A wild Washington Wizards game (159 points allowed) followed by a weekend spent in South Beach (129 points allowed) is skewing the data. Finishing around the league average is a realistic goal—if not a probable one—for this club.
The “G League Warriors”
As someone who spent considerable time in Wells Fargo Center during Sam Hinkie’s regime as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, hearing fans compare this Golden State Warriors team to a G League squad makes my ears perk up.
Yes, this team is horrible defensively. Yes, this roster is not exactly stocked with players who would log minutes in any sort of playoff rotation. But the squad is far from an actual G League team, unlike some Sixers teams of the past.
I mean take a gander at two of the worst years during The Process. First, the 2013-14 Sixers crew that went 19-63 and didn’t feature a single player with a positive TPA:
Then the 10-72 Sixers from 2015-16, who at least had Nerlens Noel in the green:
How many players with serious NBA careers do you see on those graphs? Warriors fans and parts of #NBATwitter can get off my rebuilt lawn.
Things To Watch
- The five-man lineup (minimum 48 minutes) with the best net rating? The Houston Rockets’ most recent starting lineup: Clint Capela, James Harden, Danuel House Jr., PJ Tucker and Russell Westbrook. They’ve played 83 minutes together and have a 27.4 net rating.
- Much has been made about RJ Barrett’s workload this season, as only three players (Kyle Lowry, Damian Lillard and Fred VanVleet) have seen more action than the rookie’s 36.8 minutes per contest. Wilt Chamberlain owns the record for the highest mark by a rookie with 46.4 minutes per game in 1959-60.
- Only 46 rookies in NBA history have played more minutes per game than Barrett’s early average, and only four active players (LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose) saw more average court time during their first seasons. Tyreke Evans (currently in the midst of a two-year dismissal) and John Wall (currently coaching part-time) also surpassed Barrett.
- Can you spot a trend among those six players? Wall was the only one not to win Rookie of the Year. The point guard lost the 2010-11 award to Griffin, who was a rookie only through a technicality because a fractured knee cap delayed his inaugural campaign.
- The Wizards turned their previous media seating behind one of the baskets at Capital One Arena into a VIP, beer garden-like setting in which fans can walk up and down the baseline and observe the game. It’s a cool experience with only one issue so far: The team’s stationary bike is located right next to the edge of the area. During the third quarter of Monday’s game, fans continuously approached Isaiah Thomas as he rode the bike and took pictures with the point guard. One man even gave him a full hug. Thomas was a good sport during the interactions, though I’d imagine some logistics will change before the team’s next home game.
- The Wizards-Cavaliers game on Friday is the only nationally televised game for each team. Immediately following the contest, fans in Washington will be treated to a concert by Mase and Dru Hill, among others. Perhaps they should bring back the Washington Bullets jerseys for that one.
- Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood on why the team had 19 turnovers against the Wizards earlier in the week: “Just being careless.” True.