A signing that went under the radar for the Los Angeles Lakers was guard Collin Sexton, who figures to give them a much-needed scoring punch off the bench. Last season, L.A. struggled mightily to find production in their second unit, so adding an efficient scorer in Sexton should help improve that group.
Notably, he reunites with former teammate Walker Kessler as they played together with the Utah Jazz. Sexton shared how excited he is to be with Kessler once again after spending last year apart.
“Walker, that’s my guy, we’re both from Atlanta,” Sexton said on the Lakers YouTube channel. “I grew up watching Walker. When I was in the league, I knew he was next coming out. So playing in Utah, we created some really good chemistry together and even in the summertime, we always work out together. So, it’s cool to have him as my teammate again.”
The veteran guard is not known to be much of a playmaker, but during his time with the Jazz, he always fed Kessler when he got down hill. Most of Sexton’s assists went to the Auburn product, so it is clear that they know how to play with one another.
This promotes potential promise when the 6’3″ guard gets on the floor, as he knows how to operate out of a pick-and-roll and knows what to look for when he makes a drive to the basket. In an offseason that fostered plenty of turnover, Los Angeles essentially has to start from scratch and build up a new team.
Thankfully, some of the players had a mini-camp in Las Vegas during Summer League and now Luka Doncic is hosting everyone in Slovenia for more team bonding. With Kessler and Sexton entering a new situation, having each other during this learning process should help ease potential growing pains, and they have already been working out together this offseason.
Collin Sexton: Lakers want toughness on both sides of ball
After the Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick knew what to look for in additions to the roster. They wanted higher IQ, athletic and defensive-minded players to push them back into title contention.
Additionally, the Lakers needed to sell that vision to free agents and Sexton received that message. He knows that the organization wants toughness on both sides of the ball and he can help in that department as that is what he has been known for throughout his career.
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