CLEVELAND -- Newly drafted point guard Collin Sexton believes the Cleveland Cavaliers are headed back to the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive year if small forward LeBron James picks up his player option or signs a new deal with the team in free agency this summer.
After being chosen by the Cavaliers with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York Thursday night, Sexton spoke with WKYC’s Jim Donovan and is confident Cleveland will return to The Finals once again if James remains with his hometown team.
“I feel like if he stays, then hey, back to The Finals we go,” Sexton told WKYC. “Honestly, I just feel like it would be a good experience, but also, I’ll be able to come in and learn from him just because of how great he is and how much success he has had in the league.
“Other than LeBron on the team, there are a lot of other good players that I can learn from, so I just can’t wait to get to Cleveland, be able to come in and learn and just be the best player that I can be for the team.”
PHOTOS: Collin Sexton confident Cleveland Cavaliers will return to NBA Finals if LeBron James stays
Despite breaking in new lineups after acquiring guards Jordan Clarkson, George Hill and Rodney Hood, as well as center Larry Nance Jr., at the NBA trade deadline, James had standout performances throughout the regular season and playoffs, so much so that he was named a finalist for the 2017-2018 NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
During the postseason, James averaged 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists while playing 41.9 minutes per game. Despite having to play two seven-game series before getting to the NBA Finals, James led the Cavaliers to their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Championship.
In The Finals, James averaged 34.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.3 steals over 45.0 minutes per game.
In the minutes following the selection, Sexton made an appearance on ESPN and was asked to and obliged in making his “sales pitch” to James to remain in Cleveland.
“Man, LeBron, let’s do it,” Sexton said. “Let’s do it. I’ve seen you need a few pieces this past season, and let’s do it. Let’s go back to The Finals. Let’s do it.”
Sexton averaged 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 29.9 minutes per game for an Alabama team that went to the semifinals of the 2018 Southeastern Conference Tournament and went two rounds deep in the NCAA Tournament before bowing out against the eventual National Champion Villanova Wildcats.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sexton shot 44.7 percent from the field, 49.5 percent from inside the three-point arc and 77.8 percent at the free-throw line.
Following his lone season with the Crimson Tide, Sexton went through workouts with teams, and while in Cleveland, he attended a playoff game and already visualized what it would be like sharing the court with James in the postseason.
“When I was at the game, I put myself in some of those situations that the point guard was in and watched how I could fit,” Sexton said.