The Los Angeles Lakers almost blew a 14-point lead with two minutes to go against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Head coach JJ Redick emptied his bench with the game seemingly in hand. He was going to close it out with Bronny James, Jaden Hardy, Cameron Carr, Quentin Grimes, and Jarred Vanderbilt until the advantage shrank to six with 44 seconds left. The Lakers didn’t want to risk an embarrassing loss, so their starters returned to close things out. Coach Redick’s mistake was leaving Collin Sexton on the bench.
The 6’3 guard signed a two-year, $19.2 million contract to join the Lakers in the offseason that many questioned. They are led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, so another ball-handler and shot creator didn’t seem necessary. Any doubts about the signing have been answered. The Lakers still don’t have enough, and the near disaster to end Sunday night’s impressive win was evidence.
Sexton missed the entire preseason and the regular season opener. It was a chance for others to audition for this role. Bronny got the first crack, but quickly proved he's not a point guard. Jaden Hardy and Chris Manon failed to grab the role. Things were so bad the Lakers didn’t play a backup point guard in the season opener.
Lakers need Collin Sexton whenever Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sit
Sexton is still finding his groove on the Lakers. He missed significant time with a calf injury and is working his way back into form. The team is trying to watch his minutes closely because they clearly need him whenever Luka and AR are off the floor.
Sexton is only 27 years old, but comes with a ton of NBA experience. He has averaged over 20 points per game and has primarily been a starter. The 6’3 guard is a career 38.8 percent 3-point shooter and a strong shot creator, but is still searching for his first playoff experience. He could not pass up the shot to join a contender.
The Lakers have quickly fallen in love with his mentality. Sexton is going to bring the energy and fight every night. LA needs that as they look to become a serious title contender with a revamped roster. They have nine new players from last season and a couple of clear roster holes to overcome.
Lakers need more ball-handling
The Lakers signed Quentin Grimes to be a versatile wing, but he is struggling to start his Lakers tenure. He has made just 25.0 percent of his first 20 3-point attempts and has proven to be unable to consistently handle the ball.
The Lakers’ best option behind Doncic, Reaves, and Sexton is Sandro Mamukelashvili. LA certainly doesn’t want their reserve big man bringing the ball up the floor or regularly running their offense.
They wanted more dribble, pass, and shoot options when remaking their roster. The purple and gold relied too heavily on Doncic, AR, and LeBron James last season. King James departed in free agency and left the Lakers with the problem. Now, it is Sexton taking his spot with nowhere to turn beyond their top three.
The Lakers need to address this issue before the trade deadline. They can survive with three, but an injury to any of them puts Los Angeles in a difficult spot. Luckily, Sexton should keep improving.
Lakers haven’t seen the best version of Collin Sexton
The veteran guard is averaging 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.8 steals in 17.7 minutes per game to start his time with the Lakers. Those are well below his career marks, including his efficiency. Sexton won’t shoot 41.8 percent from the field or 26.9 percent on his threes for long.
The Bull normally shoots 25.2 percent of his shots at the rim, but it stands at just 14.5 percent after six games. Fans need to remember this is his preseason. The Lakers had a couple of weeks to ramp up, but Sexton was dealing with a calf injury.
Coach Redick should have had Sexton on the floor to organize the offense whenever Doncic and Reaves are out. He trusted Bronny James and Jaden Hardy after knowing that was a mistake. Neither player got minutes in the opener because they proved they couldn’t initiate the offense during the preseason. JJ needs to get his starters off the floor when the game is over, but he must make sure Sexton is running point.
Sexton is the Lakers’ sixth man. Do not be surprised to see him averaging 15-plus points per game efficiently soon enough. He is a proven scorer, shot creator, and offensive engine. The Lakers didn’t think he would be this important, but here we are. They have nowhere else to turn and need more from Sexton than anyone thought.
The Los Angeles Lakers wisely signed Collin Sexton and are reaping the benefits. His energy and effort are contagious. Expect him to play a key role this season and be needed whenever LA is trying to close out a dominant win. The veteran certainly wouldn’t let the lead slip away as it did on Sunday night against the Raptors.
Add us as a preferred source on Google