LeBron James has officially moved on from the Los Angeles Lakers and started the next chapter of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. In turn, the Lakers have formally opted to move forward without a clearly defined third option on the offensive end of the floor.
Whether or not Collin Sexton emerges as Los Angeles' No. 3, he's their best bet at addressing the void—both in his potential to do so and his ability to alleviate pressure from those who will try to fill the void.
In 2025-26, James selflessly embraced his role as the Lakers' third option on offense behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He was perhaps the most overqualified player in the NBA for such a role, and his production was proof of it: 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Finding a player who can offer that same type of production from the current talent pool is highly unlikely, but a collaborative effort can still be made.
The likely candidates to do so are Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Sexton. Walker Kessler should also see an uptick in volume as a scorer after posting a previous career high of 7.2 field goal attempts per game.
The odds are in favor of it being all hands on deck as the new faces excel as complementary pieces in the Lakers' heliocentric offense, but Sexton will be the key to consistency and stability.
Collin Sexton is most proven player in Lakers' search for a third option
Grimes is a skilled scorer who shot 38.3 percent on catch-and-shoot threes and 53.6 percent on 6.6 drives per game in 2025-26. He also averaged 4.2 assists per 36 minutes. Each of those facts suggest he can play both with and without the ball alongside ball-dominant stars in Doncic and Reaves.
In saying that, Grimes also shot 35.5 percent on pull-up jump shots and has never averaged more than 14.6 points per game through five NBA seasons.
Kessler, meanwhile, has never been a volume scorer. The same can be said for Mamukelashvili in a per game sense, although his upside is clear after averaging 20.4 points per 36 minutes in 2024-25 and 18.4 in 2025-26.
With all three of the Lakers' high-cost offseason additions lacking experience in a high-volume role, Sexton's history of posting big numbers on efficient shooting lines is tough to ignore.
Lakers' big-money signings lack experience in high-volume roles
Sexton has produced career averages of 18.3 points per game and 22.8 points per 36 minutes on .472/.389/.841 shooting. He peaked at 24.3 points per game in 2020-21, and has averaged 17.5 points and 4.2 assists in just 26.1 minutes per game over the past three seasons.
Even if Sexton simply matches the latter production in his role as the Lakers' sixth man, it would take immeasurable pressure off of not only Doncic and Reaves, but Grimes, Kessler, and Mamukelashvili.
With Sexton scoring with efficient volume, the likes of Grimes, Kessler, and Mamukelashvili would have a much easier time picking their spots. It certainly helps that Doncic and Reaves combined for 56.8 points and 13.8 assists per game in 2025-26, but Sexton thriving in his role would mean saving the Lakers' other high-cost players from having to force the issue and operate too far out of their comfort zone.
Sexton may not have been the Lakers' most heralded signing in 2026, but he's their best hope of filling the void of a true third option by either excelling as that player or simplifying the task for his teammates.
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