NBA Draft Player Profile: Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton made himself known at Alabama for his fearless mentality in the paint. He was able to drive to the rim with ease against SEC opponents night in and night out. Currently, Sexton is projected to be drafted in the mid-late lottery. He measures in at 6’2” with a 6’6.5” wingspan. Sexton may be undersized but he does not play like a small guard at all.

On this play, Sexton successfully draws the foul. He was 7th in the nation in free throw attempts with more than 250 on the season, barely behind Trae Young. On converting those free throws, Sexton shot a decent 78 percent.

For reference, James Harden, who many fans consider to be the best player in the NBA at drawing fouls, averaged the exact same amount of free throws attempted per games. The only difference is that Sexton was more efficient in converting those free throw attempts.

Here we see Collin Sexton’s elite ability to drive to the rim. On this play specifically, Sexton manages to get to the rim, despite the defender being draped all over him. He would eventually lay the ball up and over Dustan Ristic, a 7-ft, 240-lb center.

Here is another one. Alabama’s center brings DeAndre Ayton out of the paint and Collin Sexton takes advantage of an empty lane, splitting the defenders on another lay-up.

Sexton was relaxed inside the paint this season. Once he was surrounded on this play, Sexton kicked the ball back out to Petty, who scored the open 3.

However, there are notable negatives in Sexton’s game. His jump shot is not perfect, and in his lone season at Alabama, Sexton shot 33 percent from the NBA 3-point line. And yes, while he did not have many great teammates around him at Alabama, Sexton’s passing is clearly not one of his strong suits.

Going back to the film, we see Sexton shoot a semi-contested 3-poiter while his teammate, who shot a decent clip from beyond the arc, was wide open to his right. This decision making is where most people are concerned with Sexton.

Sexton is a plus defender in most cases. However, one of his weaknesses on defense comes on pick-and-roll situations.

Watch as Sexton is completely taken out of the play by the screen. Once he finally gets back into the play, it’s too late. Teams in the NBA use the pick-and-roll about once every four possessions. With the sheer amount of these plays run in the NBA, it will be very hard for the team that selects Sexton to hide this weakness.

All in all, Sexton should be considered a lottery talent and might even be available for the Charlotte Hornets to select with the 11th overall pick. Should he be available, it would definitely be worth it for Mitch Kupchak and James Borrego to consider selecting him. He’s a hound on defense and is incredibly aggressive on offense. A young backcourt of Collin Sexton and Malik Monk could be very fun to watch.