The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a surprising start this season, and after sweeping a back-to-back against the mighty Brooklyn Nets were 8-7 -- their best record through 15 games since LeBron James was still in town. Since then, the Cavs have gone 13-36 and barring a miracle will soon be officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Such a poor run of form is obviously frustrating, and Kevin Love's recent outburst is a perfect example. But the veteran forward reportedly isn't the only one causing problems in Cleveland. Multiple players on the team are annoyed with how little Collin Sexton passes the ball, and even get taunted by opponents about it, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Various Cavs players still grow frustrated by the way Sexton dominates the ball, and opponents taunt them by saying during games, "you know he's not going to pass you the ball."
This isn't the first time this issue has come up. Last season, prior to the shutdown, Love grew irate with Sexton for dribbling out the clock to hold for the final shot in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Love then went and demanded the ball before whipping a pass at Cedi Osman that led to a foul.
Sexton does have a 28.2 usage rate (31st in the league) and takes 18.5 shots per game (15th in the league), and both of those are big numbers for such a young guard. But in his defense it's not like the Cavs are loaded with offensive talent, and he's been an efficient scorer this season, putting up 24.4 points per game on 48.3/37.8/81.4 shooting splits.
Could he do more to improve his playmaking and get his teammates involved? Absolutely. That's an important part of the development of any lead guard, especially one who has the ball in his hands as much as Sexton. It's just that given the Cavs' limited offensive options, and without being around the team every day, it's hard to say how much division this is actually causing in the locker room.
It's never a positive sign when you start getting reports about petty beefs like this, and the fact that opponents are apparently taunting the Cavs about the problem is pretty funny. At the same time it's definitely possible this is just a few disgruntled players getting some things off their chest after a draining season.
For now it's probably best to file this under something to keep an eye on, but it doesn't seem like the biggest problem in Cleveland.