Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton are walking into a very different test with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The pair, both former Utah Jazz teammates, now have a chance to show that the numbers never told the whole story. In Utah, their two-man lineups never really moved past average, and over time, the results slid backward. That makes their next chapter in Los Angeles worth watching.
Their first season together, 2022-23, came in at minus-0.3 in net rating when they shared the floor. That was Sexton’s first year back after tearing his meniscus, and while it wasn’t a disaster, it wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement either. Things only got rougher from there as Utah leaned harder into the tank.
In 2023-24, their two-man net rating dropped to minus-4.7. By 2024-25, with the Jazz fully embracing the tank, it fell again to minus-7.7.
The obvious question is whether that decline was really about Kessler and Sexton, or about the environment around them. Utah kept getting worse, and the setup around them changed in ways that made it harder to judge the duo on its own terms.
That’s why Los Angeles matters. The Lakers are trying to win, and that alone gives Kessler and Sexton a completely different backdrop than the one they had in Utah. They’re also stepping into a far more talented group than anything they played with in Utah, with Luka Doncic part of the equation now.
Still, both players are entering a setting neither has known before: a team with the playoffs on its mind. That doesn’t guarantee a dramatic leap in their two-man numbers, but it does make improvement far more likely.
Kessler gives the Lakers the defensive boost they’ve been searching for since trading Anthony Davis. Sexton brings scoring from all over the floor. Even so, he’s at best third in the Lakers’ pecking order.
So yes, the expectation is that their shared numbers should look better in Los Angeles. The bigger question is how much better they can get.
And for Jazz fans, even the most stubborn ones, this is still a strange twist. No one in their right mind is rooting for the Lakers, but it will be interesting to see what Kessler and Sexton can do once they’re no longer stuck in the role Utah gave them.
In Other News...
Jazz Roster Is Taking Shape Around A Core Fans Can Finally Debate
The Jazz have finally reached the point of the offseason where the roster is less a construction site and more a basketball team, with all 15 spots filled and the major free-agent loose ends tied off, including Walker Kesslers situation. For a franchise that has spent plenty of recent months sorting through uncertainty, there is at least a framework now, and it starts to look like a group built around Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic.
There is still plenty to sort out before opening night, from the depth chart to the exact lineup combinations, but the broad strokes are in place enough to invite real debate about what this team can become. The cap sheet also tells its own story, with Jackson and Markkanen carrying the biggest contracts while much of the rest of the roster sits on short-term or rookie deals, leaving Utah with a core that is established enough to evaluate and flexible enough to keep adjusting. [Read more 🡒]
Derek Fisher Just Reopened One Of The Jazzs Bitterest Debates
Derek Fisher has reopened one of the Jazzs old wounds by revisiting the circumstances around his departure from Utah. Fisher said he gave up the remainder of his contract so he could focus on his daughters medical treatment, a personal decision that explained why he left the team and soon resurfaced with the Los Angeles Lakers.
For Jazz fans, the explanation may bring some clarity, but it is unlikely to settle the debate. The skepticism has lingered for years, in part because Fishers next chapter quickly put him back in the spotlight against Utah in the playoffs, keeping his exit tied to one of the franchises bitterest what-ifs. [Read more 🡒]