Sexton, Garland, Allen Putting In Work With Cavs’ Summer Squad

It’s fairly evident that the Cavaliers’ young core wants more than just another 22-win season.

And it’s evident simply by looking at the Cavs’ social media accounts.

More specifically, guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, as well as center Jarrett Allen, are among those who could be seen on the practice floor in Las Vegas, where the NBA Summer League is currently taking place.

Second-year guard/forward Isaac Okoro and rookie center/forward Evan Mobley are actually on the summer roster — with Okoro finishing with 17 points in the summer opener, and Mobley tallying 12 points and five rebounds.

Beyond drafting Mobley and re-signing Allen (and trading for veteran point guard Ricky Rubio), the Cavs haven’t done much to the roster this offseason. Instead, they seem to banking on improvement from within.

Allen, for one, apparently is OK with that.

“Seeing a team like this, knowing what it takes, we have all the right guys and the right mindsets to do it,” he told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “So, I thought, ‘Hey, I’m willing to be part of this again, especially with these guys.’ I see a bright future here that I fit in perfectly.”

pic.twitter.com/Z2cu75YfBD

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) August 10, 2021

Cleveland has also been doing some experimenting, with the focus of course on Okoro and Mobley. Okoro is spending some time as a point guard/facilitator. Mobley ideally will be getting even more touches.

Everybody is aiming for lots of reps.

“We know that it’s time to take a next step,” general manager Koby Altman said back in May. “I don’t know what that next step is, but definitely move this thing forward and put ourselves in a position to be playing real games, meaningful games at the end of the season.”

Yes, there have been trade rumors surrouding Sexton, and what will come next for the leading scorer — who is eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension. The Cavs could very well still trade him prior to or during the season.

But for now, that chatter appears to have died down.

Power forward Kevin Love and small forward Cedi Osman could also be on their way out of town, though the Cavs have seemingly had zero luck in talks focused on either player.

The key, though, is for the younger nucleus to get better, and by all accounts (including the Cavs’ social media accounts) that is precisely what those players are aiming to do.

“It’s extremely beneficial,” Cavs summer coach J.J. Outlaw said of having Sexton, Garland and Allen join drills, via Fedor. “They bring a certain level of experience that all of the summer league guys really respect. I think it shows a lot of maturity on their part for being here.

“They’re not just in Vegas. They’re out here, they’re in the gym, they’re working with the guys, they’re coaching the guys, cheering them on. It means a lot. See how things are done and the culture that we’re building here in Cleveland.”