Report: Cavs Pleading Collin Sexton to Find Interests Other Than Basketball During Pandemic

The singular focus of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton toward basketball is such that some members of the organization have joked that he would do well to broaden his approach to life.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com looked at how Sexton is dealing with the NBA’s suspension of play due to the coronavirus.

“Sexton’s life centers around basketball — so much that various members of the Cavaliers have joked with him about finding an outside interest to mentally escape. Golf. Video games. Books. Something. Anything,” Fedor wrote.

The 21-year-old Sexton was set to close out his second NBA season and continues to show that the Cavs were wise to select him with the eighth pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

At the time of the March 11 shutdown, Sexton was averaging 20.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and was connecting from the field at a rate of 47.2 percent. The scoring and shooting averages were solid improvements from his up-and-down rookie campaign.

Not surprisingly, Sexton is frustrated by the absence of any basketball outlets.

“It’s tough because I’ve been playing since I was 3,” Sexton said. “Nothing like this has ever happened to stop me from playing basketball. To have it all taken away, where there’s no basketball to watch, no basketball to play and can’t even go places to play, it’s even tougher. I love the game and I just want to be around it or watch it all the time.”

Sexton’s improved play this season offers hope that the 2020-21 season could see the Cavaliers contend for a playoff berth.

With rookie Darius Garland joining Sexton in the backcourt and another top pick coming in this year’s draft, the Cavaliers appear to be building a solid foundation for the future.

When Sexton is next able to take the court remains unknown, but it’s clear that he’s ready to get back to work once that happens.