Open Thread: NBA Playoffs 2021, Conference Semis (Bonus: Season Review, Point Guard edition)

Good evening CtB!!!

Tonight we have a pivotal game five in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Bucks taking on the Nets, who might possibly get Harden back, as well as may lose Kyrie Irving for the rest of the series. Chat below and enjoy the game, and as a bonus, some thoughts on the Cavs roster as we head into the lottery, draft, and free agency. We’ll start off with the point guards and work our way through.

Darius Garland

DG’s growth in year two was one of the most exciting things to happen this season for the Cavs. He showed a massive amount of growth in a variety of areas. DG played NBA quality defense, relatively speaking (-0.6 dEPM, 44th percentile in the NBA) while becoming a defensive playmaker (1.8% steal rate, 73rd percentile in the NBA). Offensively, DG was obviously the best playmaker the Cavs had this year, leading the starters in assist ratio (24.4) while being a high usage player (25% usage rate, 88th percentile in the NBA).

So what needs to improve for DG? It really comes down to his decision making (16% turnover percentage, 15th percentile in the NBA) and shot selection (54.7% TS). He needs to learn how to command the game on the offensive side of the ball, too many times there was poor decision making and shot selection that led to losing basketball. The team’s offense goes as DG goes, and he needs to learn how to making winning plays on a consistent basis.

Collin Sexton

Young Bull’s third NBA season can probably be summarized as a rollercoaster ride. It began with elite scoring and All-Star talk, then came the ball hogging and beefing with Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen, and finally finished on a higher note with some better playmaking in the absence of DG. Now, one may question why he’s being lumped in with the point guard group, and the answer is simple: the Cavs’ offense was a two point guard offense, and Collin Sexton was used as such. Just check out the tracking stats on the year for YB:

Touches: Darius Garland 77.1, Collin Sexton 76.6

Time of possession: Darius Garland 6.2, Collin Sexton 5.9

Avg. seconds per touch: Darius Garland 4.82, Collin Sexton 4.59

Avg. dribbles per touch: Darius Garland 4.36, Collin Sexton 4.05

The difference between how Sexton was used is nearly indistinguishable from how Darius Garland was used. The end result, of course was quite different. YB was generally better at finding his spots and getting his shot off, while DG was obviously the more willing passer and superior playmaker.

So what has to improve for Young Bull going into a potential contract year in restricted free agency? It’s easy to say the defense, since YB puts zero effort on that end (-1.5 dEPM, 16th percentile in the NBA). But what’s really holding back YB is his tunnel vision (15.5 assist ratio, NBA average 18.0). He simply hasn’t figured out how to maximize his offensive impact by leveraging his ability to score into easy shots for his teammates. The good thing is Collin Sexton is only 22 years old and the Cavs don’t have to make a decision on his contract yet. But the clock is ticking to see if Sexton can take that next step as a playmaker, because he will always struggle on the defensive end with his lack of length and strength, not to mention lack of anticipation and effort.

Matthew Dellavedova

This year was most likely Delly’s swan song as a player for the Cavs. While his passing was elite, he simply couldn’t do anything else on the basketball court. But one might hope that they keep the NBA champion in the organization for his basketball IQ and leadership, perhaps in a coaching capacity.