CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the Locked On Cavs podcast in the video player above is from Oct. 25, 2021.
As the Cleveland Cavaliers look to build on their 7-4 start to the 2021-22 season, they'll be without their leading scorer. On Monday, the Cavs announced that guard Collin Sexton will be out indefinitely after suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee.
Now in his fourth season in Cleveland, Sexton suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Cavs' 126-109 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday. After leaving the contest, the 22-year-old underwent an MRI, which revealed the severity of the injury. According to the team, Sexton will undergo additional evaluation after which time his status will be updated.
Selected with the No. 8 pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Sexton has led Cleveland in scoring in each of the past three seasons. While his 16 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting this season remain a team-high, his role in the Cavs' offense has been less prominent than in previous years, with his field goal attempts dipping from 18.4 per game last season to 13.6 per game this season -- the lowest of his four-year NBA career.
Nevertheless, the Alabama product's absence could prove significant for a Cleveland team that has won four straight games and currently lays claim to the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference. With Sexton out of the lineup, the Cavs could give increased playing time to veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, as well as second-year swingman Isaac Okoro, who has missed Cleveland's past seven games with a hamstring injury.