What To Do With Sexton and Garland?

     

    The Cleveland Cavaliers front office has an incredibly tough decision ahead of them, what to do with guard tandem Collin Sexton and Darius Garland? With the guard heavy draft coming up they can either choose the future of these two at the draft or they can ride it out and see what they have for another season. This choice could ultimately decide the future of the franchise for the next decade plus.

    So many factors need to be taken into account with such a franchise defining decision such as the rest of the roster, upcoming draft picks, future roster construction and the timeline they are hoping to follow.

    Three words make this decision infinitely harder, Kevin Porter Jr. He has shown plenty of flashes of being a future all star. With the way the league is going, the potential of Porter Jr becoming a secondary or even primary Pick and Roll creator, as well as a true three level scorer is invaluable. Not to mention his 6’4 frame (Looks 6’6 or 6’7) and 6’9 wingspan adds onto his ability to become an above average defender.

    His shot creating and playmaking ability makes him an ideal modern day offensive prospect as a Pick and Roll ball handler. The ability of him to make pull ups off the screen and get to the rim with his shifty handle will make him a problem as a scorer. 

    Once someone shows the ability to score at that level they will begin to draw additional help, they then need the vision to attack the help. Porter Jr has shown flashes of being a quality passer with his mastery of the drop off pass when driving to the rim. He has also shown progression throughout the season jumping from 1.5 APG in the first month to 3.0 APG in February and March. 

    If he shows development on his lob passing and kick outs to corner shooters he will become a lethal Pick and Roll player. 

    Despite his ability to become an all star offensive player his ceiling is capped if he cannot contribute on defense. This should not be a problem for Porter Jr. His ideal frame and athleticism for a SG combined with his instincts make his ceiling as a defender quite high for someone as talented as him on offense.

    The future of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton together is quite complicated. While both have shown lots of potential there are problems that scare me with them playing together, defense and versatility. Two 6’1 guards that are not good defenders severely cap the potential of the team. 

    There seems to be a sense of false hope surrounding these two working together with the success of the Toronto Raptors starting Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. These two situations are quite different with the surrounding casts being on very different levels defensively. OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka are all good to great defenders. Not to mention Kyle Lowry is an all NBA level defender that plays way above his height. 

    Sexton and Garland’s lack of switching ability also make them not ideal together. Increasingly the league's best defenses are all becoming incredibly switchable. For example the Celtics, Raptors, Bucks, Heat, Clippers, and even the Rockets after the Clint Capela trade have multiple guys that can guard three plus positions. 

   

     Knowing all of this, what should the Cavs front office do? I believe they should trade Darius Garland for a young wing or forward. 

    A Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr, Dylan Windler, Larry Nance Jr, and Cedi Osman core plus a young forward and the 5th pick in the draft is a quality young core. Let's say the draft goes as expected and Onyeka Okongwu falls to us, he would be our center of the future which would create an identity for this young Cavs team.