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NBA: 5 big takeaways from the 2020-21 opening week

By Joe Filsinger

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 22: LeBron James #23 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers pose with their rings during the 2020 NBA championship ring ceremony before their opening night game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 22: LeBron James #23 and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers pose with their rings during the 2020 NBA championship ring ceremony before their opening night game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers Collin Sexton (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images) /

4. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ backcourt is blossoming

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 3-0, and their youthful backcourt of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton has been dominant throughout the young season.

Many questioned the Cavaliers’ selection of point guard Garland with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft. This was the second year in a row that the Cavs picked a point guard in the lottery, having drafted Sexton eighth overall the year prior. Fans wondered if the two ball-handlers could coexist, or if the undersized duo would be both ill-fitting and defensively inadequate. The organization, conversely, contended that they envisioned a lethal guard duo similar to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in Portland.

The two guards’ respective 2019-20 seasons couldn’t have gone any differently. Sexton developed into a do-it-all scorer, averaging nearly 21 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from deep. Garland, however, had a streaky season and was often regarded as the worst starting point guard in the league.

This season, the Cavaliers are starting to see the development of the offensive powerhouse they envisioned with the pairing of Sexton and Garland.

The duo has both been performing like superstars in their respective roles so far. Garland said he felt like a different player heading into this season and looks the part so far. He is putting up top-tier playmaking point guard averages of 19 points and eight assists while shooting over 50 percent from both the field and from 3. Sexton is looking like an even more unstoppable scorer than he was last year, upping his scoring output to 27 points per game on an incredible 59 percent from the field and 67 percent from 3.

Sexton’s scoring prowess was on full display Saturday in Detroit as the “Young Bull” scored eight of his 32 points in the two overtime periods of his team’s victory.

While we expect these numbers to fall back to earth a bit, they are indicative of an upward trend for a team enjoying its first three-win start since the 2016 season. Sexton and Garland haven’t been the only impressive Cavaliers so far, either; rookie Isaac Okoro is transitioning well as an NBA-level defensive specialist, Larry Nance Jr. is an energetic Swiss Army knife off the bench, Javale McGee is engaged and hitting threes, and veteran center Andre Drummond is impacting the game on both ends of the floor.

This Cavaliers team is going to be competitive this season. They followed up their thrilling victory Saturday with a commanding 118-94 victory against the Embiid-less Sixers in Philadelphia on Sunday. Making the play-in games may still be a realistic ceiling for this team, but it’s clear that they’ve found their backcourt of the future.

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