Injured for half of his first season in Utah last year, Collin Sexton necessarily approaches his second school year with appetite and ambition. But his role in the Jazz rotation still remains nebulous, and despite the departure of Mike Conley last February, Will Hardy did not give him the keys to the team, preferring Jordan Clarkson.
While he could a priori pretending to be a conductor, with the ball in his hands, in the Jazz attack, Collin Sexton has instead become a “joker” coming off the bench who must attack the circle and take open shots behind the bow. Just like Jordan Clarkson before.
A mission which he accomplished perfectly in the demonstration against Memphis (133-109). Author of 23 points at 8/10 on shots including 4/6 at 3-points, plus 6 assists, he had his benchmark match at the start of the season. Except that since then, the Jazz have continued with three defeats, but the former leader of the Cavaliers assures that he is on the right track, and that he has integrated this role of 6th man.
Not an organizing leader but a finisher
“Sometimes you have to be kind to yourself. I wrote it to myself [sur les chaussures] : indulgence “, confides Collin Sexton to Salt Lake Tribune. “Because I want everything to happen right away. But in this case, it happens in the tenth game. I finally found my rhythm, I had the right sensations. It’s difficult to deal with because I want everything now but I have to remember that there are fourteen or fifteen other guys who want to find their place on the team. »
A perfectionist and hyperactive, Collin Sexton was tested as an organizing leader to start the season. Without convincing results, he switched to more finishing and pure scoring!
“Collin is a very talented player. He always wants to do the right thing. During the preseason I put him in a lot of different situations and it didn’t help him much. I have to put him in better conditions, but he, for his part, must also adapt as best as possible with the rest of the team,” analyzes Will Hardy. “Lately, we use him more without the ball, less as an initiator of the attack but more as a second back in fact. Because he’s really strong on that, very impactful. »
Collin Sexton has the green light to shoot from afar!
A will-o’-the-wisp who burns the boards with his speed of execution and his first supersonic step, Collin Sexton is only beginning to no longer confuse speed and precipitation. To do this, the Jazz want to have him evolve without the ball the majority of the time. Like that, he is an additional threat, and in constant movement!
“When he plays without the ball and he can be dangerous when receiving – shooting or creating, it puts more pressure on the defense. He doesn’t have to organize the team, which isn’t necessarily his strong point.” adds veteran Kelly Olynyk. “His strong point is to put pressure on the defense, to bring his passion, his enthusiasm and his energy. When he plays at 100 miles an hour as a ball carrier, it’s difficult for others to know what to do whereas, when he plays at 100 miles an hour without the ball, someone else can set up to let him do his job and score. »
At 39% 3-point success last year, his second career mark, Collin Sexton is clearly a danger to watch closely. But the latter still needs to get used to being effective in shorter sequences of play. At the end of the chain at the end of the offensive system in short.
“Coach Will trusts me on the outside shot. When I have an open shot, I can’t pass! “, concludes “Young Bull”. “He gave me the green light to shoot in every corner. He believes in me. The other night in Denver, I refused a shot and he told me to shoot with confidence! »
