I think it's important to note with Sexton that he's a smart kid--a 4.0 GPA student in high school.
A lot of times, he gets that dreaded "low basketball IQ" label and "doesn't know how to play"--at least early in the season. He has the physical tools but struggled mightily to defend--especially in the pick and roll--based on technique and understanding.
Now, think for a second that all through high school--where he attended, Pebblebrook--he was entirely a scoring guard and had to carry that burden. He wasn't tasked with much defensively and he rested on that end.
Then, in one year of Alabama college basketball, it was more of the same. At times, he was a very good on-ball defender, but he wasn't tasked with that as much--even with Avery Johnson coaching him. His job was to score. Score, score, and score some more.
So, he's put on an NBA team that doesn't really give a damn defensively--firing their coach within a few games--and most of the veterans quit on the team. Bad habits, lack of committed coaching defensively, the works. It's like quicksand. It was a bad mix from the very jump. Not to mention the lack of practice time NBA teams really have in-season. To his credit, he still put in the work to change many parts of his game throughout the season and it saved the atmosphere surrounding the Cavaliers season as a result.
So, now we have a supremely hard worker--and a very sharp kid--getting coached by John Beilein. Perhaps that "low basketball IQ" is just stuff he really wasn't taught previously at the level or commitment it needed taught. Combine this sharp, hard-working kid with one of the best teachers in basketball today, and I think we're going to see a match made in heaven. After all, everyone has a low basketball IQ until they are taught the game.
I wouldn't even think about dealing Sexton. I can't wait to see what Beilein does with him.