INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Collin Sexton doesn’t have to clean up the veterans’ mess after practice. Nor did he have to lead the singing session to assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb on her birthday Wednesday.

That’s a rookie’s job. It’s up to Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler, Marques Bolden, Dean Wade and Darius Garland now.

Sexton isn’t a rookie anymore. He’s in his second NBA training camp. Given the unending nonsense he endured in an injury-wrecked and frustrating season, there’s not much he hasn’t seen at this point.

He’s ready -- physically and mentally -- to continue his ascension.

“The next step in my progression is making sure I lead the team and just run the team,” Sexton said following Friday’s practice. “Making sure I keep everybody involved, making sure I keep everyone engaged and just be that coach out there.”

Sexton has always been a lead-by-example guy. He’s one of the first players to arrive and one of the last to leave. He attacks workouts and drills with the same ferocity he does opponents trying to keep him out of the paint. But according to sources, Sexton started taking other leadership steps during Kevin Love’s pre-camp workouts in New York, being more vocal than he was at any point in his first year. During summer league in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Sexton was repeatedly giving pointers to the youngsters. He’s done the same in the first few days of camp.

“Just coming in each and every day and have a great attitude,” Sexton said. “That’s the only thing you can control. Just told them that each and every day to come in and be positive. It might not be your day that day, but just stay positive and things will get better. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs so just try to stay even-keeled.”

Sexton experienced those growing pains as a rookie. Some teammates questioned his readiness following a November loss to the Charlotte Hornets, which was the worst of the season at the time. They wondered if he belonged in the NBA at that point, doubting the organization’s throw-him-into-the-fire approach. Some wondered whether Sexton’s draft slot was tied to his playing time. Those chirps led to ex-coach Larry Drew calling a team meeting where he preached patience.

Sexton eventually turned his season around. He should have been considered for the Rising Stars Challenge and used that snub as motivation in the second half. He was named Second Team All-Rookie and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. By all accounts, it was an impressive turnaround and evidence as to why tossing teenagers to the side early is a fool’s errand. It also shows the 2019 draft class what’s possible with hard work, perseverance and mental toughness. It gives them a player to emulate, one who has head coach John Beilein glowing already.

“He’s got a lot of things he’s working on right now,” Beilein said. “But his desire to be coached is incredible. And so it’s going to be a work in progress, but we know we’ve got to get his assists up and his turnovers down. It’s very typical, last year what happened, with anybody that’s 19 years old in his first year in the NBA.

"You want good students at this time, and he’s really worked every day at being a good student. He’s paying attention and staying focused.”

Sexton agreed. He pored over film in the off-season, pulling up the numerous games where he had low assist numbers. Sexton averaged just 3.0 assists, 51st out of 87 points guards who played last season.

“I’ve seen those mistakes where I could have just given an easy layup or quick dump pass just to get my teammates going so I watched a lot of stuff on that,” Sexton said. “Now I see it, now I can make those plays and make sure I feed my teammates.”

He’s also watched film with Beilein, getting a better grasp on the 50/50 plays that Beilein preaches. Essentially, Beilein believes if a player is driving down the lane, thinking about a pass and has some doubt about it not actually working then it’s not a pass that should be attempted. It’s the same with shot attempts.

Beyond Sexton’s insatiable desire to be coached, Beilein has been impressed with Sexton’s shot, which ironically was a weakness early in his rookie season before hitting 40.2 percent from 3-point range.

“His ability to shoot is rare for someone in their first year, so we want to embrace that,” Beilein said. “But again, you’ll watch our offense -- a lot of people will get involved before a shot is taken sometimes. And that’s going to be new for a lot of people. It’s not a democracy, where ‘I got the ball it’s my turn to shoot, I haven’t shot in a while.’

"We want to take good shots, over and over again. And Collin has got a hell of a shot, so anytime we get him open, he’s going to shoot the ball. But if he’s not open, he’s not going to shoot the ball. We’re going to work at that with everybody.”

One source called Sexton the quintessential “Beilein kid,” but stopped short of labeling him the quintessential “Beilein player.” That could come in time.

Following Friday’s practice, after hoisting extra shots inside the practice facility, Sexton was headed for a defensive film session with assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Then he was going to talk hoops with Beilein in his office, complete with a coaching board that has movable magnetic pieces.

A workout session was likely on the schedule as well. That’s been a point of emphasis for Sexton heading into Year 2. He joked during media day about having muscles now. He’s packed it on, both in his arms and shoulders. He’s cut fried foods from his diet, not easy for a 20-year-old from Georgia. Sexton played all 82 games as a rook. He wants to do that again. He wants to be able to fight through screens better. He knows he will need to block out bigger guys and defend up in position, especially as he’s likely to play more 2 guard this season alongside Garland.

It’s all part of his evolution.

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