NBA Hoops

Collin Sexton has a chance to revive his public perception in Utah

Collin Sexton has a chance to revive his public perception in Utah

In his four seasons in the NBA, Collin Sexton of the Utah Jazz has been among the most polarizing players in the league. He played 218 games for the team that drafted him, the Cleveland Cavaliers, before being included in the recent massive trade that sent Donovan Mitchell from Utah to Cleveland. A deal that could have been beaten by other teams if they’d really pushed.

Whether fairly or not, Sexton’s time with the Cavaliers will be one in which he was known as a player who could put up really solid individual numbers, but his team failed to go anywhere. It was only when Sexton got injured and the Cavs allowed Darius Garland to take over that the franchise began to truly move in the right direction.

Collin Sexton is in the best position to rebuild his value while playing in Utah.

As fans and consumers of the NBA, we always look for narratives and reasons to explain why things are the way that they are. Yes, there is some truth to the Cavaliers’ getting better once Sexton was out of the equation through injury. But Garland’s emergence coincided with a potentially generational talent named Evan Mobley being drafted by the organization as well.

But Sexton has averaged 20 points per game thus far in his career. That’s extremely impressive and part of the reason the Utah Jazz were absolutely fine with signing him to a four-year, $72 million deal as part of the Mitchell trade. The Utah Jazz are going nowhere in a hurry, and if Sexton can light it up, helping keep fans engaged and buying tickets while the team loses more than it wins, then everybody will be happy.

But Utah will also likely be the place where Sexton comes to realize his best role. While with the Cavaliers, they were going nowhere and needed a savior. In today’s game, point guards who can score in bunches and at least act animated enough to have you believe they’re contributing defensively are important to any winning outfit. If they are able to genuinely connect with a fanbase as well, then all the better.

The label of “franchise player” was bestowed upon Sexton following LeBron James’ second departure, and why not given his output? In year three, he averaged a ridiculous 24.3 points and 4.4 assists in the 60 games that he played.

Those are All-Star level numbers. Defensively, you would say that he was about average and again gave great effort, although the numbers would argue otherwise and that this was where his problems truly lay. It is great to score points, but if you’re…

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