Conventional wisdom would suggest that adding an undersized scoring guard to a team that already has Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves isn't exactly a necessary move. The Los Angeles Lakers may have agreed, as they gave Collin Sexton a two-year deal during the same summer that they were handing out four-year contracts like candy.
The harsh reality of why the Lakers need Sexton, however, is that Los Angeles needed insurance for Doncic's recent injury history and the manner in which he and Reaves tend to dominate the ball.
Doncic has been fortunate enough to avoid the type of major injuries that have derailed far too many careers. What's quietly transpired in recent years, however, has been a growing trend of him missing roughly a fifth of the season—if not more.
Doncic has missed at least 16 games in four of the past five seasons, including the 32 he sat for in 2024-25 and the 18 he was absent from in 2025-26.
The 18 from 2025-26, of course, don't include the fact that he missed the entire 2026 NBA postseason. Even if one were to assume that he would've played in the next game had Los Angeles successfully extended its last series—an assumption that would be made without the use of facts—that brings his actual tally to 28 games missed this past season.
There's not yet reason to hit the panic button, but the Lakers were wise to invest in a productive backup considering Doncic's injury woes—as well as how his ball-dominant tendencies require the presence of teammates who can impose their will on games, as well.
Luka Doncic's recent injury history, ball-dominant style require relief
The most significant issue Los Angeles faces is potentially having to play roughly a quarter of the season without Doncic in the lineup. In that scenario, they'd go from having the player who ranked No. 1 in the NBA in usage rate running the show to hoping they can scrap together loose pieces with an entirely new approach to scoring.
Sexton may not be able to step in and do what Doncic does, but he can certainly help on offense after accumulating averages of 24.2 points and 5.7 assists per 36 minutes over the past three seasons.
In addition to being a high-volume player, Sexton also ranks among the most balanced scoring threats in the NBA. He boasts a career slash line of .472/.389/.841, and this past season, shot 51.7 percent on drives and 44.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.
Whether he has the ball in his hands or is working away from it, Sexton is a constant threat to generate offense—and is thus an ideal "break glass in case of emergency" occasional starter.
Lakers needed insurance for a potential return of the injury bug
The other side of what makes Sexton so important is that he's an assertive player who isn't afraid to pursue his own offense when playing alongside ball-dominant teammates. That can be a polarizing trait at times, but Doncic and Reaves can't run the Lakers' offense alone.
They may be talented enough to come close, but even the greatest offensive duos in NBA history needed teammates who could create their own offense alongside them.
Thankfully, Sexton has the skill set, track record, and production to suggest he can make life easier for Doncic and Reaves. This past season, he ranked in the 85th percentile in one on one shot making and the 95th percentile in off-ball gravity. He also averaged 5.0 assists per 36 minutes.
With the skill level to play alongside Doncic and Reaves, and the volume to step in for them if injuries arise, the Lakers signing Sexton was as much about talent as it was need.
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