The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping a couple of Utah Jazz imports can help carry them deeper into the Luka Doncic era, but Collin Sexton may end up being the harder fit to square away.
Walker Kessler has already gotten plenty of attention because of what he brings defensively and what his departure means for Utah. Sexton, though, is the other piece in that Jazz-to-Lakers pipeline, and his track record comes with a warning label. He was never really part of winning basketball in Utah, and while that wasn’t entirely on him given the transitional setting he walked into, defense was always the sticking point.
That side of the floor was not just a weakness for Sexton. Basketball University pointed out that he is one of the players who posted the lowest defensive true shooting percentage value, and he shows up on that list twice. That includes his time with the Jazz, and he is firmly near the bottom of the bottom.
Poorest three year stretches of Defensive True Shooting Value in the play-by-play era…
Free eats with these guys on the court pic.twitter.com/vJ1DCGUqa5
- Basketball University (@UofBasketball) August 22, 2026
For the Lakers, that matters because their defense was already shaky before Sexton enters the picture. Kessler should help shore things up, but he can only do so much. The idea behind bringing him in was to make the defense better, yet Sexton’s history suggests the burden on Kessler may be even heavier than expected.
Sexton does give you efficient scoring, and that part of his game should translate. The issue is that the Lakers already have plenty of offense with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
On that end, Sexton feels redundant. On the other end, he risks dragging them down.
And if that happens, it could quietly help the Jazz. The assets Utah owns from the Kessler deal become more valuable if the Lakers struggle to keep their defense afloat. In a loaded Western Conference, there won’t be much room for error if a player like Sexton is getting targeted.
Kessler can only cover so much ground, and he certainly can’t play all 48 minutes. Sexton can still change the conversation, but first he has to prove he is not a defensive liability. Right now, that’s the lesson Utah already knows all too well.
In Other News...
Kevin Loves Next Move Says A Lot About Utahs Offseason
Kevin Loves next landing spot could end up saying plenty about how the Jazzs offseason is being viewed around the league. After not returning to Utah, the veteran forward is now a free agent, and ESPNs Brian Windhorst reported that Cleveland has interest in bringing him back as it looks for help in the frontcourt and a steady voice in the locker room.
For Utah, Loves market is a small but telling reminder of how quickly teams can pivot away from a familiar veteran and how the league still values what he brings. The Cavaliers know him well from his long run there from 2014 to 2023, when he helped deliver a championship and earned two All-Star nods, and their reported interest suggests the question now is less about whether he can still fit somewhere, and more about where he fits best. [Read more 🡒]
Enes Freedom Is Reminding Jazz Fans Why His Exit Still Stings
Enes Freedom has never been shy about keeping his name in the conversation, and for Jazz fans, that alone is enough to reopen old wounds. The former Utah big man, once known as Enes Kanter, continues to draw attention well beyond his playing days, a reminder of a stint in Salt Lake City that ended with real frustration around Rudy Goberts rise and the sense that his fit with the franchise had run its course.
What has made the separation linger is the way Freedom has talked about the Jazz and their fanbase since being traded. His outspoken style has only amplified the memory of an exit that already felt messy at the time, and his latest public push to involve himself with the WNBA has added another layer to a career defined as much by controversy as by basketball. For Utah, it is one more example of a former player whose past still carries some sharp edges. [Read more 🡒]
Which Young Jazz Players Have The Most At Stake This Season
The Jazzs young core is heading into a season where opportunity and accountability are starting to overlap, and that makes the next step for several recent picks especially important. Bailey, Filipowski, Collier, Peterson and Sensabaugh all sit in different places on the roster and in their development, but each one has something to prove as Utah keeps sorting out who can grow with the team and who can handle a bigger piece of the rotation.
For some, the pressure is tied to contract status and the need to establish a clear role. For others, it is about turning flashes into reliable production when the team is asking for more than just promise. However the minutes shake out, this is the kind of season that can sharpen the Jazzs long-term picture, even if the most interesting answer from this group is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]