COLLIN SEXTON, G, ALABAMA
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6-foot-1
Wt: 183 pounds
2017-18 Stats: 19.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.6 apg
HOW HE OPERATES
Collin Sexton arrived at Alabama as a top-tier recruit and he’ll leave as a point guard with an extremely bright future after one year of tutelage from his coach, former NBA standout Avery Johnson. Sexton was an honorable mention All-American, a first-team All-SEC player, the SEC Newcomer of the Year and SEC Co-Freshman of the Year.
He’ll enter the NBA as a scoring point guard, and Sexton can score in a variety of ways. He is a physical scorer, not afraid of contact, but can be crafty with spins and hesitations and in-and-out dribbles to get to his spots. He has range out to the 3-point line, and can still improve his percentages there. He knows when to take the ball all the way to the rim and when to stop and pull up for a midrange jumper. Sexton has floaters in his arsenal as well, and can flat-out get to the free throw line, where he is a good shooter.
Sexton is already good in pick-and-roll actions, but is not a high-volume assist player yet. He’s got some work to do to improve seeing the floor and making the right pass. Has to continue to grow into a true floor leader, but he’s shown glimpses of being just that.
In transition, Sexton is brilliant. He plays with speed, power, can finish with either hand at the rim and can stop and pop from the 3-point line. He sometimes can get sped up a bit and turn it over or miss at the rim, but those instances are rarities. Right now, he’s decent at getting his own shot, but this is not a clear strength.
Defensively, Sexton is a work-in-progress. Alabama hard hedged and switched a lot in pick-and-roll situations, so there is more to see from him in terms of getting through screens. From what he’s put on film, Sexton was decent in screen-roll coverage, sometimes fighting through screens, sometimes not. He can work on his feet to gain more quickness, but he’s more than adequate in that department to be effective early in his career.
At times, however, he didn’t display a ton of consistent urgency on that end. In isolation, Sexton showed some promise with fast feet, some tenaciousness, and was fairly physical. He’s got potential as a defender but has to stay locked in, be ready for all of the head fakes and craftiness and be consistent with effort.
HIS BEST FIT
Sexton’s best fit is with a team that is good at grooming point guards and will get him on the court sooner than later so he can learn on the fly. He projects to be a big-time player in the NBA – can already score from anywhere, and has a potential to grow as a playmaker and defender.
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter.