AP Photo/Noah K. Murray

Report: Cavs' Collin Sexton Out for Season After Undergoing Surgery on Knee Injury

Doric Sam

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton will miss the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season after undergoing surgery for a meniscus tear in his left knee, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Cleveland announced Nov. 8 that the 22-year-old suffered the injury and would be out indefinitely. The team said his status would be updated after further evaluation.

Sexton got hurt in the second quarter of the 126-109 victory over the New York Knicks on Nov. 7. At the time of his injury, the Cavaliers were off to a surprising start to the season with a 7-4 record. They've since fallen to 9-8.

Sexton averaged 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 11 games this season.

The eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Alabama alum averaged career highs in points (24.3), assists (4.4), minutes (35.3) and field-goal percentage (47.5) during the 2020-21 season. But he hasn't been able to turn the Cavaliers around, as Cleveland has finished with a record below .500 and missed the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns.

Despite his impressive numbers last year, Sexton and Cleveland failed to reach an agreement on a rookie-scale contract extension before this season's deadline in October. He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

The Cavaliers employ a two-point guard system with Sexton and 2019 first-round pick Darius Garland, who is averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. He is likely going to have to shoulder the scoring load in his teammate's absence.

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio is likely to see an increase in minutes. When Sexton went down against the Knicks, the 31-year-old came off the bench and scored a career-high 37 points with a career-best eight three-pointers.

Cleveland's 2020 first-round pick, Isaac Okoro, is back from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss seven games. The defensive specialist could see some more time in the backcourt while Sexton is out.

   

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