Collin Sexton shot 40.1% from three last season and should run the Lakers’ second unit. On Saturday JJ Redick said he is dealing with a lower leg injury, and CBS Sports lists him as day-to-day. He also sat out the Warriors preseason game on Oct. 6 (see the Redick “unacceptable” game). Nobody has said it is serious.
My take: Sexton should be the lead guard of the second unit, with a defined role and real minutes in the mid-20s. Austin Reaves should not have to be the bench offense when Luka Doncic sits.
What the Lakers signed
The Lakers agreed to a two-year, $19 million deal with Sexton, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on July 1 and announced July 12. His salary is $9.4 million this season and $9.8 million in 2027-28, per Basketball Reference. For a 27-year-old guard who averaged 18.4 points for Utah in 2024-25, that is not much money.
He is a bench piece by design. The roster has Doncic and Reaves in the backcourt, and Sexton’s job is to score when one or both sit. Last season he did that job on two teams.
The numbers
Here is Sexton’s 2025-26, split between the two teams that employed him, per Basketball Reference:
| Team | Games | Minutes | Points | 3P% | True shooting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 42 | 22.3 | 14.2 | 39.3% | .619 |
| Chicago | 26 | 26.0 | 17.5 | 41.0% | .609 |
| Total | 68 | 23.7 | 15.4 | 40.1% | .615 |
Look at the three-point line first. He made 40.1% of his threes on 4.1 attempts per game, and he has made at least 39.3% of his threes in each of the last four seasons, per Basketball Reference.
Then look at the free throw line. Sexton took 3.8 free throws a game in under 24 minutes and made 85.5% of them. His free throw rate, free throw attempts per field goal attempt, was .344.
True shooting (the efficiency number that counts threes and free throws) was .615 on a usage rate of 25.9%. Roughly a quarter of the possessions he was on the floor for ended in his shot, a turnover or his free throws. In 2024-25 with Utah it was .593 on 27.0% usage.
His assist rate was 21.7%, and he averaged 3.3 assists a game. His turnover percentage was 14.2%. I covered the roster’s creator question in what LeBron’s departure took with it.
Why the bench needs him
Compare him to the other guards who could carry bench minutes, again per Basketball Reference:
| Player | Team | Games | Minutes | Points | 3P% | True shooting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collin Sexton | CHO/CHI | 68 | 23.7 | 15.4 | 40.1% | .615 |
| Quentin Grimes | PHI | 75 | 29.4 | 13.4 | 33.4% | .585 |
| Bronny James | LAL | 42 | 8.9 | 2.9 | 38.6% | .517 |
Quentin Grimes played 29.4 minutes a night for Philadelphia and started at Golden State in the preseason loss I wrote about in the Redick “unacceptable” game. He is a useful guard, but he averaged 13.4 points on 33.4% shooting from three last year, and his true shooting is .030 below Sexton’s. Bronny James (whose roster spot I take up in this piece) turned 22 this week, and 42 games at under nine minutes is not a basis for giving him the second unit.
That leaves a problem if Sexton is out. The Lakers’ offense lives on Doncic, who averaged 33.5 points and 8.3 assists last year with a 38.1% usage rate, and Reaves, who scored 23.3 a night with a 26.7% usage rate. Those two cannot play 48 minutes a night. When they sit, the Lakers need one guard who can score without a set play. Sexton is that guard. Nobody else on the list has done it at his efficiency.
How to use him
I would use Sexton in three ways.
Stagger him with the stars. The first sub in the first quarter should be Sexton for Reaves, with Doncic still on the floor. A pairing of Doncic’s passing and Sexton’s threes is easy to run, and he made 40.1% of them last year. It also gets Reaves a rest without the offense dropping off.
Make him the lead of the bench group when Doncic sits. With Doncic on the bench, someone has to create. Sexton’s 3.3 assists are not elite, but his 25.9% usage says he will take the shots. Put Grimes and a couple of wings around him, plus whichever big Redick trusts, and the group has a clear first option.
Give him 24 to 26 minutes. He averaged 23.7 last year and 26.0 in Chicago, where he scored 17.5 points a night. That is the right load for a scorer on a team with two stars who each play about 35.
The risk
Sexton is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, per Basketball Reference, so Redick should surround him with bigger wings such as Jake LaRavia and Adou Thiero (both 6-foot-7) and not another small guard. LaRavia’s three-point shot is the open question there; see the numbers on his jumper.
He played 68 games last season and 63 the year before, per Basketball Reference. A bench scorer who plays 65 games leaves 17 nights where somebody else has to do the job.
What to watch
The Lakers have two exhibition games left, per CBS Sports, and the next is Tuesday in Las Vegas. For the second-unit big men, see my piece on the backup center spot. Here is what I would look for:
- Whether Sexton plays Tuesday. If he sits, the team is being careful, which is the right call in October.
- Who he plays with. If Redick puts him next to Doncic early, the plan is the one above.
- The first Doncic-off minutes. If Reaves still runs everything, the team does not trust the guard it signed to do the job.
The Lakers have one guard on the bench who has done this for years, and he cost $9.4 million. They should use him.
Ball security is another reason the second unit needs a steady guard; see who is turning it over in the preseason.