Collin Sexton Picked by Cavaliers in 2018 NBA Draft; Twitter Approves of Fit

The Cleveland Cavaliers upgraded at the point guard position Thursday, selecting Alabama's Collin Sexton with the No. 8 overall pick, and social media quickly reacted to the pick:

Sexton has both elite strengths and glaring weaknesses. His strengths are, without question, his athleticism, ball-handling, ability to attack the basket and, as Sam Vecenie of The Athletic wrote in May, his demeanor: 

"Sexton is unquestionably one of the most competitive players to enter the draft in the last decade. He fights and claws for every single inch on a basketball floor and wants to have the ball in his hands in every single moment. He has a great feel for putting the ball in the basket at the rim and from the midrange with a nice floater game, as well as drawing contact to get to the rim."

But where Sexton offers less value at point guard is as a facilitator and perimeter shooter, which B/R's Jonathan Wasserman broke down in April:

"Sexton's 3.6-2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio doesn't reflect starting NBA point guard numbers. Since 2012, Tony Wroten Jr. remains the only first-round point guard to record a lower one during his final year in college.

"Alabama shot poorly as a team, and Sexton was relied on to score, but he's never been known for facilitating. And though scoring point guards have appeal in today's NBA, he only shot 36.3 percent on all jump shots and 47.2 percent at the rim."

The going NBA comparison for Sexton seems to be Milwaukee's Eric Bledsoe:

His 33.6 percent shooting from three is a concern, though he did shoot 77.8 percent from the free-throw line, a decent mark. Free-throw shooting is often a solid barometer for how a player's perimeter shooting will progress at the NBA level, so it's possible Sexton could show growth in that part of his game. 

If Sexton improves his facilitating and adds a more consistent perimeter, the sky is the limit for him. While he doesn't have great size, his athleticism should allow him to stick with other point guards on the defensive end at the next level. 

Cleveland is getting a dynamic talent, no doubt, and one who could emerge as a true star in the future.

Cleveland didn't get much out of their point guards in the 2017-18 season, and Sexton should challenge George Hill immediately for playing time. Of course, Cleveland's roster could look dramatically different by the time the 2018-19 season begins, as uncertainty about LeBron James' future looms over the organization.

But Sexton is the sort of pick who makes sense whether James returns or not. While Sexton will need to improve his perimeter shooting to be most effective alongside James, he'll improve the team's depth at a key position. And he's the future at point guard for the team and will be one of the pieces to build around if the Cavaliers lose James and decide to undergo a full rebuild starting this offseason.

All in all, an easy selection for the Cavaliers to justify.