Collin Sexton returned to full practice Monday, giving the Los Angeles Lakers an encouraging development two days before their regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors.
JJ Redick confirmed the guard’s participation, and Sexton said afterward that he felt good physically. His availability for Wednesday remains unresolved as he works back from lower-leg tightness.
“I was super excited to be back out there. It was a great day,” Sexton said.
Sexton is taking his recovery day by day heading into the opener. Monday’s return gives him an opportunity to assess how his leg responds to a full session before the Lakers make a decision on game availability.
The progress follows a preseason in which Sexton never appeared in a game. As recently as Thursday, he was participating in drills but had not resumed live practice.
Collin Sexton’s absence affected the Lakers’ backcourt plans
Sexton’s return could help Redick address a problem that influenced his lineup choices during the preseason: finding reliable ball-handling beyond Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Before Friday’s exhibition finale, it was reported that the struggles of the Lakers’ reserve ball-handlers with Sexton unavailable contributed to Redick’s decision to try Quentin Grimes off the bench.
That makes Sexton’s recovery relevant to more than his own minutes. If he is available, Redick would have another guard to run possessions when Doncic or Reaves rests, giving the coach more flexibility in how he uses Grimes.
Sexton averaged 15.4 points and 3.3 assists per game for Charlotte and Chicago last season.
Redick has not committed to keeping Grimes in a reserve role. The coach said Friday that he remained open to starting him.
Sexton’s practice return does not settle that decision, but it moves the Lakers closer to evaluating their backcourt with another of their intended offensive options available.
Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr remain limited
The Lakers still did not have everyone scrimmaging Monday. Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr participated in modified work without joining the scrimmage portion.
Collin Sexton was a full participant in practice today. Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr were modified participants (no scrimmaging).
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 19, 2026
For Sexton, the next question is whether Monday’s encouraging session translates into clearance for Wednesday. He has returned to full practice, but has not yet confirmed that his Lakers debut will come against Golden State.
