Ex-Cavs Core Piece To Compete Vs. Team For First Time In Cleveland
It's been about 15 months since the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world and made a deal with the Utah Jazz for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.
It was a move that included a haul of draft capital, would-be-All-Star Lauri Markkanen, 2022 first-round draft pick Ochai Agbaji and ex-Cavs-core-piece Collin Sexton.
Albeit a short stay with the wine-and-gold, Markkanen and Agbaji saw minutes against their former team last season just one year ago. Sexton, however, didn't get the chance to, as he dealt with injury.
Though he didn't play, Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff commended Sexton for his contributions to the organization.
"You always want to see guys doing what they love, especially the guys who put the time in to make sure they can be at their best," Bickerstaff said one year ago when the Cavs faced the Jazz at home.
"Collin is a tireless worker. He went through so much here, but was never deterred. All he wanted to do was get on the floor and help. You're always happy to see him back on the floor and playing at a high level and helping his team win."
In 218 games across four campaigns with the Cavs, Sexton averaged 20.0 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per contest on .458/.378/.827 shooting splits.
On Wednesday night, Young Bull will get his shot at revenge for the first time since the Cavs sent him away in that blockbuster trade.
Sure to be an emotional and empowering moment for him, Sexton will play at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in an NBA game for the first time since Nov. 3, 2021.
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) celebrates after making a shot during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Sexton will come into Cleveland riding his highest of highs this season with the Jazz, putting up 27.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in over 32 minutes per game since Dec. 13. He's shot a sizzling 52.9 percent from the field, knocking down 38.5 percent of his threes.
Utah has won three out of its last four as a result.
It's a shame we won't be able to see Sexton match up with Darius Garland, his former backcourt and "SexLand" partner.
(Thank Larry Nance Jr. for that gem of a nickname. We'll see his Pels tomorrow night, but Junior unfortunately won't be playing in that game because of a fractured rib.)
At the very least, Sexton is set to go head-to-head with Mitchell, the man the Cavs traded him for. Buckle up!
