The Overview
The Cleveland Cavaliers have gone somewhat under the radar ever since Lebron’s departure in 2018. One of their brightest spots has been the acquisition of Guard Collin Sexton out of Alabama in the 2019 NBA Draft. Throughout his three seasons with the team, he’s averaging 20.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 3 rebounds, all while shooting on an extremely efficient 46/39/83 clip, per BasketballReference. So far throughout the 2021-22 season, he has been an instrumental player for the Cavaliers during their solid 7-4 start.
The Injury News
In devestating fashion, on November 8th, the Cavs recieved news that Collin Sexton had suffered a torn meniscus to his left knee. This is a huge blow to the Cavs, as Collin Sexton is definetly a key contributer to the offense. Typically, a torn maniscus can take 6-8 weeks to heal from if it’s treated conservatively and without surgery. The Cavs said that there is no time-table for his return.
The Path Forward
Obviously, losing one of your star players isn’t ideal, but fear not Cavs fans. The Cavs offense has been one of the most well rounded offenses in the NBA this year, so this is not the end of the world for the Cavs season. While the level of production might not be possilble to replace, there are a plethera of options to chose from if you’re Koby Altman and the rest of the Cavs front office.
1. Don’t Panic, Start Dylan Windler
As Cavs fans know, Dylan Windler is actually very under rated and has pretty sound knowledge of the game. Though he clearly isn’t the dynamic player like Sexton is, he’s able to be plugged into the system and play his role well. He’s a sharp shooter that can play quality defense, and has been looking for a bigger role with this team. He has been a little bit of an unknown, without consistent minutes, but I’d say that this is a fine solution to the 6-8 potential weeks that Collin will be out.
2. Wesley Matthews
Wessley Matthews is a free-agent prospect that any team could use. He’s a great shooter, shooting an extremely solid 38% from three on his career, and he’s also a quality defender. Matthews stock fell a little bit as he shot a 33.5% last year with the Lakers in the regular season, and 28% in the playoffs, so he’s the perfect under-the-radar player to pick up in Sexton’s abcense.
3. Ride the Ricky Rubio Wave
Ricky Rubio has been a pleasant suprise for the Cavs this season as he’s averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists a game. He is looking to be a steal of the trade that included Taurean Prince. The Ricky Rubio option is really the most realistic, and the most simple. The Cavs have been clicking on all cylanders this year, and while Collin Sexton has been a big contributing factor, it’s not all on his shoulders to carry the offense. Every single player in the starting lineup has been playing their role well, and I think that they are not totally lost without Sexton. Once Isaac Okoro comes back from his hamstring injury, the lineup would look like this.
PG: Ricky Rubio
SG: Darius Garland
SF: Isaac Okoro
PF: Evan Mobely
C: Jarett Allen
That is a very solid lineup for what the Cavs want to do, and I could definitely see that lineup producing at a high clip. All in all, while this Cavs offense certainly benifits from having Collin Sexton on the court, they have put themselves in a good position to still play some good basketball with him off the floor.
