On the 4th of March, 2023, Collin Sexton led Utah in a fast break against Washington. As Sexton pushed the ball on the left side of the lane, he flipped a lob pass up to rookie Keyonte George who lifted off and used his right hand to control the ball. With Marvin Bagley III, the Wizards' recent trade acquisition, and a notably large individual jumping to meet George at the rim, Utah's young guard ricocheted a pass back off the glass where Sexton collected and threw down a dunk to punctuate the most beautiful fast break of the year.
The play was so perfectly executed and completely unexpected, that many observers accused the players involved of getting lucky--they didn't even mean to do that, right?
Well, as you ought to know by now, nothing is unintentional with Collin Sexton.
"Oh yeah, so I was running down, I told him throw it back--the alley oop--and perfect pass. I hope he got an assist off that because he definitely threw a perfect pass right back and I was able to finish it, so it was exciting."Collin Sexton via @utahjazz
Sexton is enjoying a fantastic year in his second season with the Jazz. In the before-mentioned matchup against the Wizards, Sexton led all scorers with 29 points and 7 assists to only 1 turnover (that's just beautiful). He's averaging impressive per-game statistics across the board, with incredible efficiency. The "Young Bull" is scoring 18 points a night on excellent 48/40/86 splits (that's field goal, 3-point, and free throw percentages, respectively). On the defensive end of the floor, Sexton has paired with Kris Dunn to create a fearsome duo of aggressive defense with the goal of terrorizing opposing backcourts.
Why is he having such a great season with Utah? Didn't Cleveland give up on their former lottery pick from Alabama in Sexton? Is this level of play sustainable, and what should we expect from him moving forward? I'm not a psychic or a fortune-teller, so it's kind of unfair that you're asking me these questions. In my non-mystical opinion, the best way to predict the future is to understand the past. So, let's get to know the fiery point guard who bears number 2 for the Utah Jazz.