Collin Sexton Ties Incredible Rookie Record Set by LeBron James

During his first season in the NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Collin Sexton has had peaks and valleys when it comes to his overall play on the court.

However, as his first season is winding down, Sexton has managed to match a club rookie record that was accomplished 15 years ago by LeBron James.

In Thursday night’s loss versus the Orlando Magic, Sexton tossed in 23 points, marking the fourth consecutive game in which he’s broken the 20-point barrier. During James’ rookie campaign in 2003-04, he managed to achieve that on two separate occasions.

One indication of how Sexton appears to be developing into the player the Cavaliers envisioned can be seen by his numbers during the month of March. In the team’s seven games, he’s averaged 21.3 points per game, while his shooting percentages have seen him connect on 48.1 percent of his shots from the field and 41.7 percent on 3-pointers.

One of the knocks on Sexton prior to the draft was based on his inconsistent shooting, but that facet of his game is quickly developing into a strength.

What’s even more impressive is that those performances come after a strong February in which he was a contender for the league’s Rookie of the Month honors.

Cavs head coach Larry Drew, who would like to see the rookie pass the ball more, has been a witness to Sexton’s development and likes what he sees:

“Collin is a scoring point guard. He likes to score and can score, but sometimes you have to get your other guys rolling. Get the assists up. That’s no secret, that’s not one of his fortes. But he’s getting better. Really happy with where his growth is.”

Sexton matching James’ accomplishment marked the second time in recent days that he’s been in the same conversation with a former Cavaliers icon. Late last week, he surpassed Kyrie Irving’s team record for 3-pointers by a rookie.

Despite Thursday’s loss, Sexton remains focused on closing strong;

“I feel like the next games we have to go out here and play together. We just have to give it our all and try to end with some wins. We don’t want to end the season on a losing note. We want to end the season good. Have to make sure we’re grinding and keep pushing.”

The next opportunity for Sexton to build on his rookie resume will be on Saturday night, when the Cavaliers play in Dallas.