J.B. Bickerstaff talks about Cavs’ increased expectations for Collin Sexton and Darius Garland

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff recently made an appearance on “The Jump” and talked about the next steps in the developments of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.

“I think it’s figuring out the game within the game and how that translates to wins and what they have to do on a night-in, night-out basis to lead this team and push us in the right direction,” Bickerstaff said. “As you mentioned, through this summer, we lost some of our veteran players, some of our older guys. So, now we have these two guys, and we’re expecting them to lead us. So now, how do you control the locker room? How do you control the huddle? Those are all things that they’ve been working on and improving.

“The skill is there. The talent is there. There’s no doubt about it. But now, like all young point guards, that’s a difficult position. We know that. And you’ve got to be able to control 14 other guys. You’ve got to be able to coach on the floor. You’ve got to be able to talk to the officials. You’ve got to understand your opponent. That experience that they’ve gained over the past few years, we feel like they’re ready to take a jump, and the best thing about it, if you look at them, is every single year that they’ve been in the league, they’ve improved. And that says a lot about them and their work ethic and their commitment to the Cavs.”

Sexton and Garland are two of the most exciting young guards in the NBA. The duo represents a bright future in Cleveland, and it sounds like Bickerstaff is excited to help the two players grow into leaders.

Sexton is coming off of a 2020-21 season in which he averaged 24.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He made 47.5 percent of his shots from the field and 37.1 percent of his shots from deep.

Garland, meanwhile, averaged 17.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game last season. He posted shooting clips of 45.1 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from 3-point range.

Both players have the potential to be superstars, and Bickerstaff seems intent on helping them get there. The entire team would benefit from the duo’s growth.

Cleveland is trending in the right direction in its rebuild. The organization would love to make the playoffs in the 2021-22 season for the first time in several years.