Collin Sexton Gets Candid About Luka Doncic’s Role With New-Look Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers newcomer shared what stood out during Doncic’s Slovenia minicamp and offered an encouraging outlook for Walker Kessler.

Basketball - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers visit to Ljubljana - Ljubljana, Slovenia - August 23, 2026 Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic poses for a photo with teammates on the court where he played growing up in Ljubljana REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic | REUTERS

The Los Angeles Lakers have gone through some drastic changes this season, with the team’s roster going through a massive overhaul.

A lot of players from last year’s squad, including superstar forward LeBron James, have moved on, signing with other teams in NBA free agency or have been traded elsewhere, like Deandre Ayton.

As the Lakers begin this new era, superstar guard Luka Doncic felt like it was important for the new squad to get together for a minicamp in his home country of Slovenia, with the reigning scoring champion picking up the tab.

Collin Sexton: Luka Doncic Showed He’s a ‘True Leader’

One of the new players on the team, Collin Sexton, recently talked about the unique minicamp experience overseas and how he saw Doncic’s leadership throughout the process, via ESPN Los Angeles.

Collin Sexton talks about the Slovenia trip and what a great leader Luka is.

It’s amazing how after LeBron is gone, Luka is allowed to flourish. pic.twitter.com/9LiIVnRWvm

— SLO HOOPS FAN 🇸🇮 (@SloHoopsFan) September 4, 2026

“I would say it was one of those trips where it's more like team, team building,” Sexton said. “It was for us. It was for us to gel and work out together, not just in the States, just away. And also just the culture for Luka to do that, that just shows a true leader. And you can tell that's the role that he wants to fall into this season and be the one to lead us.”

Doncic continues to receive high praise from his new teammates, with many other players expressing similar sentiments about the perennial All-Star.

Collin Sexton: Walker Kessler Will Have a ‘Huge Impact’ on the Lakers

Along with praising Doncic for stepping up as the undisputed leader of the new-look Lakers, Sexton shared some insight on what fans can expect from fellow newcomer, Walker Kessler.

Collin Sexton believes that Walker Kessler will have a HUGE impact on the Lakers 🔥

“He’s gonna have a huge impact, especially on the defensive end. His presence, rim protection, and even offensive ability, I’m super excited.” pic.twitter.com/Lh7XrwCdCC

— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) September 4, 2026

“He's going to have a huge impact, especially on the defensive end,” Sexton said of Kessler. “His presence, his rim protection, and even his offensive ability that he's been working on this summer.”

Sexton spent a lot of time playing alongside Kessler on the Utah Jazz, where he got to know the defensive-minded center pretty well. Also, they’re both from Georgia, so there’s been quite a bond between the two over the years.

“I'm super excited for him and the opportunity, and also just, he's one of my guys,” Sexton said. “He's one of my guys. He's from Atlanta, so whenever I've been talking to him, even when we wasn't on the same team, I just told him, I got your back, and then next year, we're here, so it's cool.”

Both players are now under contract for the next four years in Los Angeles and are key pieces to this rebuild around Doncic, so it’ll be interesting to see how they impact the team’s immediate future heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.

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