SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Collin Sexton played in just 48 games in his first season with the Utah Jazz, but that’s a lot more than the 11 he played in with Cleveland two years ago.
“I feel like this year was a year to just get back on the court, and to get the love of the game again” Sexton said.
Sexton, who was acquired in the Donovan Mitchell trade, still averaged 14.3 points while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. He also had a career-low in turnovers (1.8), but wants to be more of a playmaker, setting up his teammates like a true point guard.
“Decision making, picking and choosing when to drive and when to attack,” said Sexton about what he wants to work on this off-season. “But also when the time to score and when to set up my teammates to make sure they’re getting the correct shots.”
Sexton, who signed a 4-year, $72-million deal after being traded to the Jazz, says he learned a lot about those things from Mike Conley when he was here, and they’re still close.
“We’ve been having conversations here and there,” Sexton said. “He’s always going to be my guy, and he’s always going to be a part of the Jazz family as well. Sometimes when someone gets traded, it doesn’t mean the relationship and the friendship just dies.”
Sexton has always been praised as a relentlessly hard worker, something that was instilled in him a child when he worked at his father’s cleaning business.
“Growing up, my dad had a cleaning service,” Sexton said. “So, we always had to clean buildings and clean different fast food restaurants. It wasn’t a job that we wanted to be doing, especially at 12 am or 1:00 in the morning. We didn’t want to do it, but it’s something I felt like built character. It was something that needed to happen to show that we can’t take anything for granted.”
