Collin Sexton is moving closer to the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular-season opener, but he still hasn’t been cleared for live action.
Coach JJ Redick said Thursday that Sexton handled the drill portion of practice while remaining out of live reps. The guard has been sidelined throughout the preseason because of a lower-leg injury, though Redick said the signs are pointing in the right direction for Oct. 21.
“Trending in the right direction,” Redick said.
That update matters because it draws a clear line between working through controlled drills and being ready to play in a game. Sexton has reached the first stage, but Redick still stopped short of giving a firm return date.
The Lakers host Golden State on Oct. 21, and they have one last exhibition left before then: Denver comes to town Friday. That gives Redick one more chance to see which players are available and how the rotation looks heading into the opener.
Sexton’s path has not matched Walker Kessler’s, either. Redick had already said after Saturday’s practice that Sexton was in a modified session and lagging behind Kessler, who was dealing with a finger injury.
“Collin was modified again,” said Redick. “He probably is a little bit further behind (Walker Kessler).”
Kessler has since been cleared and made his Lakers debut against Golden State on Tuesday. Sexton did not play in that game, and neither did Ziaire Williams, Adou Thiero or Cameron Carr.
Luka Doncic also sat out Tuesday, though Redick made it clear before the game that Doncic was resting rather than injured.
That’s part of the larger picture for this team: the group on the floor in preseason hasn’t always been the exact group Redick expects once the games count.
Sexton’s eventual return would give the Lakers another perimeter creator. He averaged 15.4 points and 3.3 assists per game last season between Charlotte and Chicago, and that kind of scoring and handling would help Los Angeles when Redick is sorting through minutes around Doncic and Austin Reaves.
It wouldn’t fix the Lakers’ issues by itself, though. Reaves already pointed to the team’s turnovers and said he and Doncic have been central to that problem. He also talked about the need for better organization.
He went a step further when discussing Sandro Mamukelashvili, saying he can help push the ball after rebounds and start the offense.
“He’s got such a high basketball IQ that if he gets the rebound, he should basically play the 1,” Reaves said.
That gives the Lakers several different ways to get an offense started. Sexton’s presence would add one more option, and Redick would get another look at how the pieces fit rather than having everything run through the same few creators.
Thursday’s injury picture also included progress elsewhere. Williams returned to full practice, Thiero was back with the group and Carr remained out. Williams said his status for Friday would depend on the staff’s decision, so his return to practice did not guarantee he’ll face Denver.
Redick also said this preseason has given the staff more time to install what it wants, especially on defense. He expects 12 preseason practices this year, compared with six last year.
Even so, live game reps are still the missing piece for Sexton. The coach has stressed teaching in practice and in film sessions, and he said players who have been sidelined have stayed engaged. But he also made clear that chemistry takes time once the regular season starts.
“We’ve really tried, even without all the bodies available, we’ve tried to do a lot of teaching in practice, prior to practice, we’ve done a lot of teaching in the film room,” Redick said. “Guys have been super engaged, even the guys that have been out.
So that part of it I think is gonna be there, and then there’s the rhythm of playing together. I don’t care what anybody says, that takes weeks and weeks of the regular season, especially for a group that has nine new players.”
For now, the Lakers have one more exhibition to sort through the rotation, then an opener against Golden State. Sexton’s status is still unsettled, but Redick’s latest word suggests he’s at least moving in the right direction.
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