CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the quiet of the locker room, with everyone but Matthew Dellavedova already dressed and long gone, Collin Sexton sipped a recovery drink. He needed it. After trying to lift the injury-depleted Cavaliers to an improbable win against the playoff-bound Utah Jazz, Sexton was exhausted.

The conversation was supposed to focus on a career night, scoring 32 points on an efficient 11-of-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. It was intended to be about his extraordinary rise since the Jordan Clarkson trade and whether something changed for him that night. But Sexton wasn’t interested in talking about that, not the 20-plus points per game he’s now averaging and not a pair of 30-point outbursts over the last three games that led to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff once again calling Sexton “under appreciated.”

Nor did Sexton want to start hearing about becoming one of the elite scorers in the Eastern Conference since late December.

He first wanted to make sure I saw a different number: Three, as in the amount of assists and steals he had during Monday night’s 126-113 loss. Mostly, it was about the assists -- the point of contention for many of his detractors -- and other opportunities he feels didn’t make it into the box score.

“I don’t worry too much about scoring,” Sexton told cleveland.com following the loss. “I worry about the assists. When I’m out there I know I can score the ball like whenever. ... I try to worry more about getting assists because I want to make sure my teammates are going. I want to get them going because if they’re going then they are going to give it their all at both ends. It might not always show up. They’ll be like, ‘He only got two or three assists.’ But am I making the right plays? I feel like I’m making the right plays and right reads each and every night, so if I keep doing that the assists are going to come.”

So how many does Sexton believe he could’ve had Monday?

“Six, maybe seven,” he said with a smile. “It is what it is.”

Sexton is a basketball junkie. He even spent Sunday afternoon watching Dean Wade and Matt Mooney play for the Canton Charge at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It’s become clear over the last two years Sexton’s happiest inside a gym, often arriving early, staying late and sometimes making late-hour treks to the practice facility for some extra work. One member of the organization recently joked that Sexton needs an actual hobby, something that allows him to escape the grind.

So, even though his passion for the game never wavers, Sexton seemed to have a little more juice against the Jazz. Part of it was the matchup -- a chance to go up against Donovan Mitchell, a player he’s formed a relationship with through agent Austin Brown, who represents both young guards. It was also Sexton’s first matchup against old teammate Clarkson.

The last part was Sexton getting a chance to start at point guard once again -- his old spot, one he had played basically his entire life. Well, until the Cavs drafted Darius Garland with the No. 5 pick in June and moved Sexton over one spot.

“It was different,” Sexton said. “Just me being able to run the team and run the show felt good out there. Being able to orchestrate and get my teammates open shots. We missed a lot of shots, but definitely got them in the right spots and got them wide-open shots.”

There were moments against the Jazz where it was obvious the Cavs missed Garland’s pure point guard skills. But Sexton tried to do his best to fill that void. Bickerstaff felt Monday was another positive step for the youngster.

“I think he’s been preparing for all of this,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s worked at it. I thought he had a great overall game tonight. I thought he scored when the opportunity presented itself and then he made the right play when he had to. Defensively, he battled.

"I think Collin is talented, I think he’s under appreciated. His skill set is only go to grow and get better. I think we’re very fortunate to have a guy that every single day shows up to work. He shows up to compete every single night. If you’re startin’ something, those are the type of people you want to have around.”

It’s somewhat ironic that Clarkson was in the building for Sexton’s best scoring night. After all, it was Clarkson’s trade that started this surge. The Cavs needed to replace that consistent scoring punch, that special ability to create off the dribble. It seemed on Dec. 23, when Clarkson was sent to the Jazz in exchange for a pair of second-round picks and Dante Exum, that the Cavs had lost an element on offense.

That’s when Sexton, who has internally drawn comparisons to Clarkson and is viewed by some in the organization as an ideal sixth man at some point in his career, challenged himself.

“I just felt like I needed to step up a little bit more,” Sexton told cleveland.com. “Coach moved me to the second unit. He would take me out a little earlier in the first quarter to be able to get a little more scoring in there with that second unit because when you’re out there now, it’s me, Larry (Nance Jr.) and K.P. (Kevin Porter Jr.) now as the three scorers in that group. The first unit you’ve got Darius, me, K-Love, (Andre) Drummond or whoever is in there at center and Cedi (Osman). Coach moved me to the second unit and wants me to run the show, be both a point guard and scorer. It’s totally different.”

Since that night, Sexton has been one of the East’s best players.

“Collin’s been so great for us scoring the ball the whole season, but really been on a tear the last several weeks,” Love said.

Over the last two-plus months, a stretch covering 31 games, a big enough sample size, Sexton is averaging 23.3 points on 47.4% from the field and 44.3% from 3-point range. His effective field goal percentage is 53.1. He’s also averaging 3.3 assists. He just turned 21, continuing to get better every night. By any measure, Sexton has been the Cavs’ best -- and most consistent -- scoring option, taking the torch that Clarkson used to carry.

Sexton’s role is clear. He’s comfortable in it. He can play both the 1 and 2 depending on the lineup. It suits him well -- a mix of playmaking and scoring. In other words, the old Clarkson mold.

“I would say from last year to this year it totally changed,” Sexton said about his overall approach. “Me being able to pick my spots. If I get my teammates going early, then my shots usually open up. Come off pick and roll and make the pocket pass on the first one. Then it’s like OK, does the defender step up now? Then next time I may have the layup. So, just playing the game like that. Reading and reacting and not thinking too much.

“Just take what the defense gives me. Don’t rush. Go out there, have fun, get to my spots and create for myself as well as my teammates.”

More Cavaliers coverage

Who is Collin Sexton at his highest level? The Wine and Gold Talk Podcast

Larry Nance Jr.'s versatility needs assistance on defense when Cavaliers lack big man depth

Sexton’s career night not enough in 126-113 loss to Jazz

Get Cavs Insider texts in your phone from Chris Fedor: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with one of the NBA’s best beat reporters -- just like you would with your friends. It’s just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Sign up below.