Austin Reaves praised Collin Sexton’s defensive energy after Sexton made his Los Angeles Lakers debut in a 125-117 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Oct. 23. “He’s a pest,” Reaves said.
Sexton had missed the preseason and the Oct. 21 opener against Golden State.
Reaves added that Sexton “loves doing the little things and plays the game the right way.” He also said Sexton “is just going to get more comfortable every single minute he plays.”
Walker Kessler, who played with Sexton on the Utah Jazz, called him “a maniac” and said that kind of energy is “contagious,” according to Lakers Nation, which also reported that Sexton came off the bench on a 16-minute restriction.
Sexton had five points on 2-of-6 shooting, two assists and three steals in 16 minutes. Reaves led the Lakers with 28 points, all five starters scored in double figures, and the Lakers moved to 2-0.
The Clippers finished with a 46-25 edge in bench points. Jake LaRavia sat out with a sprained right ankle, and the Lakers gave minutes to only nine players.
After practice on Monday, Oct. 19, Sexton had described the job he expected to do on defense: “bringing that energy, bringing that juice and trying to disrupt.” Before Friday’s game, JJ Redick described what Sexton would add on offense: “Sexton’s another handler, another creator, another shotmaker.”
The Lakers Still Need the Offense They Signed Him For
What Sexton showed on Friday is not the main reason the Lakers brought him in. Redick’s own pregame description was about offense: handling, creating and shotmaking for the second unit. In his debut, the defense showed up and the offense mostly didn’t.
On the same night, the Lakers’ bench was outscored by 21 points with a nine-man rotation. The steals and the praise from teammates are a real plus, but whether this signing works depends on Sexton giving the Lakers bench scoring once his minutes go up. One game on a minutes restriction does not settle that.
Utah Is the Next Test of Sexton’s Minutes
The Lakers play the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 25. Utah is Sexton’s former team, and Kessler played there too. The reporting does not say when Sexton’s minutes restriction will be lifted. Until it is, the bench-scoring question stays open.
Source: Lakers Nation
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