Including the preseason, Collin Sexton has played just two games for the Los Angeles Lakers so far, but he has made an impact on the court that has been felt. That impact has gone beyond the numbers that he has put up in both games.
The guard, who signed a two-year, $19 million contract with the Lakers in July, had just five points on 2-of-6 shooting in Friday's 125-117 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. He then scored 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 20 minutes on Sunday when the Lakers overcame a big early deficit to topple the Utah Jazz, 132-123. He had three steals on Friday and no steals on Sunday, but it seems like he came up with more than that, as he did a good job of applying defensive pressure on the perimeter and mucking things up.
Following Sunday's victory, Sexton talked about what he brought to the court at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City and his overall role.
“I would say just come into the game and bring that juice,” Sexton said. “Come into the game and try to make an impact on both ends of the court. I feel like tonight, first half I impacted defensively really well and it allowed us to get some stops. Got under their guys and made them put it on the floor. So I think defensively, I was able to impact a lot of it and contribute to the win. So I’m excited.”
While Sexton has had a reputation for being a poor defender, he does play with lots of effort and energy on that end of the floor. By playing his man tightly and making his man uncomfortable, teammates can come over and trap that man and force steals, and they can also play the passing lanes tightly and create turnovers that way.
On the offensive end, Sexton can handle the ball, score, hit 3-pointers, create transition opportunities and get others involved. For the first time in a few years, the Lakers appear to have a bench that can come in and change the tenor of a game. Sexton was a major factor in the team turning things around in the second quarter when it outscored Utah 45-24 after getting outscored 47-29 in the first quarter.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Collin Sexton on how he helped sparked the Lakers' comeback on Sunday