It seems like the competition for the Utah Jazz’s point guard spot could come down to two men; Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn.
The Utah Jazz need to figure out what they’re doing at point guard, and that’s going to be a lot of what camp is focused on. When the team finally gets together to start training camp in October, many of the talking points are going to be about and around replacing Mike Conley. The long-time Memphis Grizzlies point guard was traded to the Utah Jazz and gave the team some stability at the position.
But after he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Jazz didn’t have a guard who could take over and perform as well as he could. That’s why, in part, they opted to draft Keyonte George. The rookie point guard has a lot of potential and could be a huge game-changer but many in the know believe he’s not ready to take over the reighs.
In fact, former Utah Jazz assistant coach Gordie Chiesa believes that the position battle is down to Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn. Sexton if the Jazz want an all-out offense, and Dunn if they’re thinking of having someone who can play defense and help balance the team’s starting five out some.
Chiesa spoke on ESPN 92.1’s The Bill Riley Show and revealed that he believes the position battle will be down to Sexton and Dunn, saying;
"…They’re probably going to start Collin Sexton if he’s not traded with the frenzy around the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers, Raptors, Miami Heat. if he’s still here, it’ll be Sexton as far as getting the start and then Kris Dunn playing off the bench.Sexton played well last year, however Sexton missed 34 games, so it’s almost like out of sight out of mind. But Billy, he did shoot from the floor last year 50.6, and he averaged 15.3 points per game; however, my instincts tell me he’s better off the bench as far as the way he comes in the game cus Jordan Clarkson is the starting two-guard.So I would lean to him starting, but I could see the narrative where Kris Dunn could be the starter and Sexton could come off the bench."
Sexton may be better off the bench, there’s certainly reason to believe that, but there’s also reason to believe that the team may move him as well. It’s really unclear what Sexton’s future with the Jazz looks like at the moment, but assuming Sexton does stay, Chiesa believes he’ll start alongside Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, and Walker Kessler.
Then, according to the former coach, we’d have bench players including Kris Dunn, Ochai Agbaji, Talen Horton-Tucker, Taylor Hendricks, and Kelly Olynyk.
That rotation makes sense depending on how much value you put in Dunn and Horton-Tucker, but if we’re being honest, Dunn gives the starting five a more structured look, while Sexton has the ability to win the Sixth Man of the Year if he comes off the bench.
As for Horton-Tucker over someone like Keyonte George, that’s a bold take, and one that isn’t going to be shared by many people.