Jazz G Collin Sexton Making Compelling Case to Become Full-Time Starter
Without having the benefit of Jordan Clarkson and rookie standout Keyonte George in the lineup for the team’s most recent stretch of games, the Utah Jazz have had to turn elsewhere to seek production in their backcourt. While they entered the season with concerns about having a logjam at the position group, that depth has now proven to be very beneficial.
Out of this team’s collection of guard depth, we’ve seen Collin Sexton be the one to step up in the wake of Utah’s recent injury bug. After coming off the bench in a sixth-man role for his first 23 games of the season, the circumstances have allowed his opportunity and offensive responsibility to increase dramatically.
In his last three starts for the Jazz, he’s averaging 27.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 31.6 minutes played. He’s pairing this with some solid efficiency from all ends of the court, shooting 36.8% from distance and a strong 58.5% from the field. In terms of team success, it’s resulted in a positive 2-1 record.
Finding a reliable offensive option beyond Lauri Markkanen has been a constant concern surrounding this team early in the season. In fact, the team as a whole now has a lower league-ranked offensive rating (111.4, 26th in the NBA) than defensive rating (119.6, 25th in the NBA) a quarter of the way through the season.
This team has been desperately coveting a spark to help lift their scoring output, especially while shorthanded. Now after seeing the way Sexton has adjusted quickly into the starting lineup, it makes an appealing case for him to remain a starter if he keeps this level of play up.
It’s pretty unlikely to see Keyonte get bumped out of the starting five with how well he’s begun his career, but seeing Clarkson ultimately find a spot on the bench may be in the best interest of the team if Sexton is posting routinely impactful and efficient scoring.
We’ve also seen how productive a player like Clarkson can be in the past as a component off the bench. He’s won the Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2020-21 season when the Jazz won 50+ with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. If he can return to the levels we witnessed just a few years ago, this adjustment might be an easy decision to make.
With Will Hardy’s willingness to test and experiment with lineups early through this year, we may see several different lineup combinations once this roster gets healthier.
Sexton will have the chance to build on his last three performances when Utah takes on the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at the Delta Center at 7 PM MT.
Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and X.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream!
