There was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding Collin Sexton's future after he tore his meniscus last year. The former eighth overall pick has had some impressive moments already in his career but was bumped out of the future plans of the Cavs due to the injury and strong play of Darius Garland. There was a concerning lack of traction in contract negotiations this offseason when Sexton was a restricted free agent.
A reason for this became more clear when Sexton was a major part of the trade package that it took to land Donovan Mitchell. Sexton agreed to a sign-and-trade and will be on the books for a fully guaranteed four-year, $72 million contract moving forward. While most of the attention will be on the Cavs for their addition of Donovan Mitchell, this is also a chance for Collin Sexton to receive a restart on his career.
Here are three bold predictions for what to expect from Collin Sexton in his first season with the Jazz.
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3. New Jazz Guard Receives All-Star Buzz
It feels expectations are far too low for Collin Sexton. No, he is not Donovan Mitchell. However, Sexton is still an extremely talented basketball player who will be in a terrific situation for his production. The biggest concern with Sexton has been what his NBA role can truly be. Many have wondered if his best role is as a sixth man due to his lack of distribution skills and 6-foot- size. There certainly is a lane where he could be a microwave scorer off the bench on a successful team.
Fortunately for Sexton, the stage will be set for him to succeed in the 2022-23 season in Utah. While the Jazz are not done making changes to their roster yet, all signs are pointing toward more veterans being on the move. When everything is said and done, expect Sexton to be running the show on the Jazz next season. The record of the Jazz may work against him in the All-Star discussion, but expect the raw stats he produces to make him qualified to enter this type of impressive company.
2. Collin Sexton has more FGA than Donovan Mitchell
Like it or not, these two will likely be mentioned in the same breath for the rest of their careers due to the trade. While this is more due to the situation and overall style and less about talent, Collin Sexton should be counted on to attempt more shots this season than Donovan Mitchell. As things currently stand, Mitchell set a career high for field goal attempts during the 2020-21 season with 20.6 per game. Sexton's current career high for field goal attempts also occurred during the 2020-21 season when he launched 18.4 attempts per game.
There will not be as many shots to go around for Mitchell in Cleveland this year. In contrast, Sexton will likely have the opportunity to take just about as many shots as he wants. While guys like Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, Talen Horten-Tucker, and a few others will eat into these, Sexton will certainly be looked at as the primary option (or at least he will certainly look at himself as one). This could change if the Jazz cannot find trade partners for guys like Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic, but if things go according to plan, the red carpet will be laid out for Sexton to get plenty of looks.
1. Collin Sexton will average 25+ points per game
There are concerns you can have with Collin Sexton's ability and style of play, but scoring the ball is not one of them. In his last full season in the NBA, he racked up 24.3 points per game. There were only 10 players in the NBA to put up over 25 points per game last season. Expect Sexton to join this list next season due to the ability and opportunity he will receive. While you can't read too heavily into offseason clips, Sexton appears healthy and ready to play again. He has been spotted playing in the pro-am circuit with the same tenacious and hard-nosed style as before the injury.
This is another prediction based as much on the situation as it is on Sexton himself, but the perception has swung too negative on the Alabama product. Look for the 23-year-old to come in determined to make a statement this season and fill up the score sheet as a result. Getting sent to Utah could be the best thing for the 2018-19 All-Rookie Team member because he will be given the chance to play off some rust and truly show what he is capable of. The Cavaliers have been regarded as the major winner for landing Mitchell in the trade, but Sexton is still a strong return piece.
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