How a role change unlocked Collin Sexton in Jazz win over Grizzlies

SALT LAKE CITY — If you ever happened to meander into the Utah Jazz practice facility in the early hours on game day, you'd find Collin Sexton.

It's been his routine since he entered the league. By 7 a.m., he's in the gym — drilling, shooting, and prepping for what's to come later.

The thinking is simple but also profound. He knows he's not the biggest guy in the league, or the best shooter, or the best passer, so he figures he'll just outwork everyone.

"I feel like I put in the most time, hours wise, as anybody," Sexton said.

It's all that work, all those hours in the gym, that gave him the feeling ahead of Wednesday's game that things were about to turn for both he and the team. Through four games, he shot just 41% from the field, 22% from 3-point range, and the Jazz had come out of the gate with a 1-3 record.

But a little more than an hour before the game, he told reporters he thought things were close; he might have a second-career as a fortune teller.

Sexton erupted for 23 points and six assists in Utah's 133-109 blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday at the Delta Center. But what he did Wednesday hasn't come easy for the guard.

Jazz coach Will Hardy admitted he hasn't made life easy for Sexton.

Over the course of the preseason (and the early part of the regular season), Hardy experimented with a number of different lineups and spots that made it hard for Sexton to find a rhythm. It was all in an effort to find where Sexton fit best with the team.

Hardy thinks they may have found it.

Sexton has moved to more of an off-ball role over the last two games, with the thinking being that it can highlight his best attributes while taking away the burden of getting Utah into its offense.

"He is really dynamic in those situations," Hardy said. "Whether it be getting a catch and then playing pick-and-roll, or coming off of an off-ball screen, he's able to really develop a lot of force."

Sexton was 8-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line Wednesday, and the 23 points is the most he has scored in a Jazz uniform — six 3s is tied for the most he has attempted in his career.

The latter was especially important. And, if they're being honest, the Jazz probably want him to shoot even more than that. On Monday, Sexton passed up an open look on the perimeter that drew the ire of his coach.

"He got on to me a little bit," Sexton said with a smirk. "He knows that the time and the work I put in … shooting the same shot, so just trust it."

Sexton said Hardy told him he had a "green light" to shoot corner 3s, and that he wasn't allowed to pass out of those situations anymore. To that point, Hardy, in discussing the move with Sexton, told him the move to an off-ball guard wasn't about limiting his opportunities but expanding them.

"Just different ones," Hardy said, speaking about Sexton's opportunities.

They're ones that will better help the team win if Wednesday is an indication.

"I think having him off the ball and making shots, making plays. puts a lot more pressure on defenses, and he doesn't have to organize everybody because that's probably not his strength," Kelly Olynyk said. "His strength is putting pressure on defense, playing with a lot of passion, enthusiasm, and energy.

"When he's going 100 miles an hour with the ball, it kind of makes it tougher on everybody else to know where to go. So if you have him off the ball going 100 miles an hour, someone else can set the table and let him eat."

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