Report: Cavs Have Grown Closer After John Beilein Called Players ‘Thugs’

When Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein referred to his players as “thugs” during a recent film session, it seemed possible that it might tear his team apart.

However, according to second-year guard Collin Sexton, the incident has actually brought the Cavs closer together.

“I feel like since then, Coach Beilein has become even closer to us, and we became closer as a team,” Sexton said. “I feel like we’re moving in the right direction.”

The Cavs are 2-2 since the the incident occurred, with both losses coming against arguably the two best teams in the entire NBA in the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers.

Coming up, the Cavs will enjoy a 10-game period that features nine matchups versus teams with losing records. If the Cavs truly are moving in the right direction, this stretch will serve as a great litmus test for how they stack up against some of the other rebuilding squads in the NBA.

As for Sexton, he’s continuing to develop as a dangerous scorer. While he is averaging 18.8 points per game and shooing 32.6 percent from the three-point line on the season, his last 10 games have marked an uptick in productivity and efficiency.

In Sexton’s last 10 games, he’s averaging 21.5 points per game on 45.5 percent from the field and 43.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Though he is only averaging 1.7 assists per game in that stretch, he has started to thrive in a more off-ball role as rookie guard Darius Garland continues to develop as a playmaker.

Hopefully, these positive trends continue.

While no one expects the Cavs to advance to the postseason this season, finishing the 2019-20 campaign strong would be great for confidence in and around the organization.