Collin Sexton’s Stellar Season Continues
In his third year in the NBA, former Alabama basketball player Collin Sexton is setting career highs in scoring and assists as he keeps the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoff hunt. On Wednesday night Sexton scored 29 points and had six assists in a 117-1110 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Sexton is averaging nearly 24 points and four assists per game in the 2020-21 season and his team is currently 12th in the NBA Eastern Conference with a 15-25 overall record. The Cavs are 4.5 games behind the 8th place Knicks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Sexton broke Lebron James's franchise record of most 20-point performances to start a season this year. Despite having a career-year so far, Sexton missed the NBA All-Star game by way of fan voting. Sexton finished 9th in voting against the other Eastern Conference guards with over 455,000 votes.
The emergence of the "Young Bull" as one of the NBA's top young guards only serves to help current Alabama coach Nate Oats recruit top players to The Capstone. Sexton was a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, carrying the banner for the Crimson Tide. Former Bama guard Kira Lewis was drafted in the first round in the 2020 NBA Draft and the Tide could put two more players in the first round with John Petty and Herb Jones.
Sexton's one year in Tuscaloosa saw him win the SEC Freshman of the Year as he led Alabama to its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance prior to this season. His success on the court paves the way for other top players to come to Alabama such as JD Davison and more.