Lakers still waiting for preseason debuts of Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton, coach JJ Redick says

The Los Angeles Lakers are still waiting for full preseason debuts from Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton, and coach JJ Redick said the team is not yet sure when it will get a proper look at them in a game setting. Redick’s assessment comes as the Lakers move into the final week of preseason action, a stretch when teams usually try to sharpen rotations and test the most important combinations before the regular season arrives.

According to the report, both the center Kessler and the guard Sexton are dealing with lingering injuries. The practical consequence is straightforward but significant for a team trying to evaluate a “new-look” roster: without their availability, the coaching staff loses valuable live reps that can only be earned through game tempo, on-court reads, and defensive or offensive execution against live opponents.

For the Lakers, Kessler’s role as a center would typically be central to how the team protects the paint and organizes its half-court defense. In preseason, those are precisely the areas coaches want to see under pressure, especially when opponents are still preparing their own lineups and still have enough continuity to expose whether a team’s scheme holds up. Waiting on Kessler means Los Angeles has less certainty about how quickly it can establish that interior structure at full speed.

Sexton’s absence affects the same evaluation cycle from the perimeter side. As a guard, he is the kind of player teams often lean on to initiate offense, apply pressure in transition, and create consistent ball-advancing looks. In the preseason, those functions are not only about points, but also about rhythm, decision-making, and how well a guard handles spacing with different teammates. When a guard is held out, it can also force other players into expanded roles, which can complicate how coaches interpret what they see.

Redick’s uncertainty also highlights a common preseason reality. Teams can design practices around a player’s workload, but they cannot fully replicate the intensity and unpredictability of game situations. That is why a delayed debut can ripple into late-preseason decisions, including how much time other lineups get together and how quickly the staff can measure what it has built during training camp.

For the Lakers, the next few preseason dates become more than just preparation. They become the window where Redick and his staff hope to confirm how quickly missing pieces can slot into the rotation, and how stable the bench and starter group look when the games start to feel closer to regular-season intensity. If Kessler and Sexton remain sidelined, Los Angeles may have to prioritize other lineups and reduce the amount of schematic experimentation late in the preseason.

The immediate watch item is simple: whether the team can schedule debuts for Kessler and Sexton in the remaining preseason games. Beyond that, it will be important to see how Redick manages the minutes and integration timeline once they do return, because preseason availability is often as much about readiness and continuity as it is about raw talent and fit.