Collin Sexton Shares True Thoughts on Playing for Rebuilding Jazz

Utah Jazz SG Collin Sexton impressed in his second year as a Jazzman.

With year two of the rebuild in the books, the Utah Jazz front office has more intel on how the roster is taking form. In year one, Lauri Markkanen emerged as an integral part of the plan, and in year two, Collin Sexton made an argument that he’s a key piece to what Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and General Manager Justin Zanik are building.

Despite the Jazz not being competitive post-trade deadline, Sexton stood out as the most competitive player on the roster. One would never know that winning was taking a back seat to draft position and developing the rookies the way Sexton gave 110% in each and every game. Sexton elaborated on what it was like to wear a uniform for a franchise whose main focus isn’t winning.

"Yeah, we talk about it," Sexton said. "We know, I know for sure, they’re building a winning culture around here. Putting guys in this building that want to be here. At the end of the day, sometimes it is tough. It takes time but you can tell the moves that they are making and things that they are doing is showing that we’re gonna move in the right direction and it’s going to be fun for many many years to come."

Sexton finished the year averaging 18.7 points and 4.9 assists per game, but more importantly, was one of the more efficient players on the roster. He shot 48.7% from the field and 39.4% from long distance. Those are impressive numbers, considering that most of his offense is created by himself. 

Markkanen led the 2023-24 Jazz with 21.5% PER (Player Efficiency Rating), followed by Sexton at 19.9. Keynote George and Jordan Clarkson really struggled in this area, boasting a 10.3 and 12.6 PER, respectively. 

Also, Sexton was Utah's most durable player in 2023-24. He led Utah by playing in 78 out of 82 games. Before this season, Sexton was bitten by an injury bug. As a result, he's missed 105 games over the last two years and hasn't played a full season since his rookie year in 2018-19.

So, where does Sexton fit in Utah's plans for the future? It still could go either way for the former lottery pick. Ainge said in his press conference that Utah will be going “Big Game Hunting” this offseason, and if that’s the case, then Sexton could be part of a blockbuster trade.

However, most likely, Sexton will be back in Salt Lake City for his third year as Jazzman. Moving forward, the question is whether Sexton will be a starter or if his skill set is more suited to be Utah’s Sixth Man of the future.

Sexton is proven on the offensive side of the ball, but can he co-exist with Keynonte George as the starting backcourt? Both players are below-average defenders and contributed to Utah’s lack of resistance in 2023-24, leading to a league-worst 120.4 defensive rating. It would be hard to believe that the defensive woes in Utah’s backcourt won’t be addressed this summer.

Either way, assuming Sexton isn’t part of an exchange, he’ll be a key piece to what Utah is trying to accomplish next season. Sexton has a firm grip on being a part of the rotation, whether as a spark plug coming off the bench or as the starting shooting guard.

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