Collin Sexton
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 14: Collin Sexton attends a 2026 NBA Summer League game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers are unquestionably Luka Doncic’s team. The franchise rebuilt their roster around Doncic in the offseason, letting several long-term Lakers walk in the process, to move the team over to Doncic’s leadership. One of those signings was Collin Sexton, a point guard with a hard-playing mentality and a complete offensive skillset.
Sexton, like all but one of the team’s rostered players, joined Doncic on a trip to Slovenia for a team minicamp. Doncic hosted and covered the entirety of the trip in what was his first real move as the leader of the Lakers. Sexton spoke about the trip and what went well from a team perspective.
“I would say it was one of those trips where it was more like team-building for us,” Sexton said on ESPN LA “It was for us to gel and work out, not just in the States, but away. And also just the culture, for Luka (Doncic) to do that, it just shows a true leader, and that’s the role that he wants to fall into this season and be the one to lead us.”
The Lakers guard then focused on Slovenia itself and what he loved about being in Ljubljana.
“It was amazing. It was cool,” he said. “It definitely was one of those experiences that I definitely would love to go back. It was something that you never expect to go to, and it was amazing. One of my favorite parts was getting out there, riding bikes and seeing everything up close and personal.”
One of the team-building exercises that the Lakers did was team rowing, something that Sexton thought wouldn’t be such a challenge at first.
“For sure, it definitely was. It wasn’t the easiest,” Sexton admitted. “When you see it on TV, everyone’s in sync and I think I got caught under a few times struggling. We had a great time, and it was one of those events where it was just fun. It didn’t feel like it was forced, everything flowed and our days were packed with a bunch of different things”
By all accounts, it seemed that the Lakers had a fantastic time on this trip and got a great first experience as teammates, thanks to the leadership of Doncic. It’s those types of early experiences that a team can lean on when the eventual speed bumps occur during an 82-game regular season.
ESPN projects Lakers as most likely team to disappoint
The general consensus around the Lakers, at least in ESPN’s Summer Forecast, is that their team does not have what it takes to even repeat last season’s performance. They were named as the most likely team to disappoint after their offseason roster overhaul.
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Ron Gutterman is a Washington State University alum from Anaheim, California, and is currently a Staff Writer for LakersNation.com, RamsNewsWire.com, and RaidersNewsWire.com. He is also the lead editor for AngelsNation.com. With Lakers Nation, Rams News Wire, Raiders News Wire, and Angels Nation, Ron assists in news, game coverage, analysis, and hot takes via his Twitter account, @rongutterman24. Without a doubt, Ron's favorite Laker, and favorite athlete of all time, is Kobe Bryant. Ron began watching basketball when he was 6 years old, in 2005, when Bryant was dragging the likes of Smush Parker and Ronny Turiaf to playoff spots. Ron's all time favorite Lakers moment was Bryant's final game when he dropped 60 points. While the Lakers beating the Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, as Metta World Peace hit the game clinching three, will always be a top option, Bryant's final night takes the cake. Contact: ron@mediumlargela.com