Collin Sexton

Sexton is coming off a 2020-21 season, his third in the league, in which he continued to improve in most stat categories. His 24.3 points per game were good for 18th in the NBA. He also ranked 17th in field goal attempts -- a number that likely won't climb any higher. Sexton's aggressive style also paid off at the charity stripe, where he shot 81.5 percent and ranked 14th in free throws made. The third-year-guard missed 12 games, but he averaged 35.3 minutes per contest, which ranked 10th in the league. This is a long way of saying that while Sexton had a great third season, there may not be much more room for improvement. Fellow young guard Darius Garland has earned a similarly prominent role in the Cleveland offense. As Garland continues to improve, he will presumably take some playmaking duties from Sexton, who dished an impressive 4.4 dimes per game last season. The addition of No. 3 pick Evan Mobley -- and the absence of Andre Drummond -- hopefully means Cleveland will play a more up-tempo game. The Cavs ranked 25th in total possessions last season. Overall, there's a good chance Sexton can closely replicate last season's production, but fantasy managers probably shouldn't reach to acquire the Alabama product's services.

Sexton is coming off a great second season in the league, in which he improved across the board. The Alabama product averaged 20.8 points on 47.2 percent shooting, 3.1 rebounds 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. On top of that, Sexton was also accurate from beyond the arc, hitting 1.5 three-pointers per game on 38 percent shooting. He closed the season for Cleveland pre-pandemic on a hot streak, posting a career high with 41 points during a shorthanded March loss to the Celtics. The guard has been reliable, failing to miss a single game entering his third season. While the offensive numbers have been strong, it would be ideal to see a little improvement from Sexton in dishing out assists, so that his value stretches beyond points and effective percentages. On paper, Cleveland looks like one of the worst rosters in the league, so Sexton should still get plenty of opportunities as he looks to continue to prove himself as a young emerging player in the league.

The eighth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Sexton drew his first start on the 11th game of the 2018-19 campaign and never looked back. He played in all 82 games, leading the Cavaliers in total points (1,371) while shooting an impressive 40.2 percent from three and 83.9 percent from the charity stripe. Though Sexton showed off his scoring ability, racking up 27 performances with at least 20 points, he was a poor passer for a point guard. He dished five or more assists on only 12 occasions and averaged 2.3 turnovers to his 3.0 assists per game. Defense wasn't Sexton's strong suit, either, as he recorded just 44 steals on the year. Based on his first season, Sexton projects to be a score-first guard, though his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame isn't made for a shift to shooting guard. Early indications are that Sexton and 6-foot-2, 174-pound rookie Darius Garland will share the backcourt together, so the two may divvy up ballhandling responsibilities. Ultimately, until Sexton develops as a passer and defender, his fantasy value is relatively minimal given his limited contributions outside of scoring.

In just one year of college ball, Sexton was able to generate national attention with his play at Alabama. He started 32-of-33 games despite being a freshman and wound up with averages of 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals across 29.9 minutes. He wasn't the most efficient player when considering his position and shot just 44.7 percent from the field, 33.6 percent from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line. Still, his athleticism, aggressiveness and passion, as well as his impressive ability to create for himself as a scorer, won over the Cavaliers and ultimately earned him a selection with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. His situation with Cleveland should be a positive when considering his Fantasy value. George Hill and Jordan Clarkson currently present some potential roadblocks to playing time, but with superstar LeBron James leaving in free agency, it wouldn't be surprising if the team turned their attention to Sexton and his development. While it may take some to get accustomed to the NBA level and gain the trust with his teammates, look for Sexton to become a relevant Fantasy option as the season progresses. There are some concerns with his size (6-foot-2) and his ability to act as a facilitator rather than just a scorer, but again, the Cavaliers could throw him in the fire early considering his upside. While efficiency issues and turnovers could hurt his value at times, look for Sexton to be an intriguing dynasty draft pick and also a potential high-risk, high-reward type of player in later rounds of other standard drafts.