All things considered, it was hardly a stellar NBA debut for Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Collin Sexton.
The Alabama product scored just 9 points on 2-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes of action, grabbing three rebounds while failing to record a single assist as the Cavs fell to the Toronto Raptors by a score of 116-104 on Wednesday night. But while Sexton's overall showing may have been lackluster, he did show signs of being the same player worthy of being selected by Cleveland with the no. 8 pick last June.
Such was the case during the first made field goal of his NBA career -- although it didn't come until there were nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. With the Cavs trailing 97-83, the 19-year-old Sexton drove on Kawhi Leonard, floating a teardrop layup over the 6-foot-7 forward's outstretched arm.
Although Sexton would only make one other basket from the field against the Raptors, that bucket was also impressive, as he made a leaning and-1 jumper shortly after his layup over Leonard. The player nicknamed 'Young Bull' would go on to make the ensuing free throw -- one of five he both attempted and made on the night -- perhaps a sign that he'll be capable of generating offense, even when his shot isn't falling on a given night.
Of course, it's just one game, so it's tough to read too much into anything, especially when it comes to the start of a rookie's career. But regardless of where Sexton goes from here, he'll always have that first make, which just so happened to come against a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
