As they took turns taking shots, Collin Sexton and LaMelo Ball showcased both the joy and competitive spirit that have made their dynamic work so well. The Charlotte Hornets had already ended a recent morning shootaround, but Sexton and Ball stayed on the court for another 20 minutes. Then, Sexton and Ball completed a light shooting workout that entailed taking 3s around the court, working on post moves and shooting free throws. The work didn’t stop there.

Shortly after, Sexton completed various sprinting drills in hopes of strengthening his recently sore left hamstring.

In a season filled with various injuries and close losses, the Hornets (14-26) are at least comforted by a few developments. Kon Knueppel has an early case for Rookie of the Year for his consistent all-around game. After dealing center Jusuf Nurkić to the Utah Jazz last summer for Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick, the Hornets have become impressed with Sexton’s productivity and adaptability as a combo guard. Hornets coach Charles Lee lauded Sexton for playing with “an edge” with his defensive intensity, timely shots and well-placed passes. In his eighth NBA season, Sexton has averaged 15.2 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.

“It’s just how he operates every day,” Lee said. “His demeanor and his professionalism every day has really enhanced our culture.”

Sexton spoke to EssentiallySports on how he has tried to enhance the Hornets’ culture, establishing chemistry with Ball, Knueppel’s promising rookie season and more.

Editor’s note: The following portion of this interview took place following the Hornets’ shootaround ahead of Monday’s game against the LA Clippers.

How is everything going so far with your first season in Charlotte?

Sexton: “I’ve been enjoying it with being part of a new system, new coach and new team. I’m taking it day by day. I’m continuing to build those relationships both on the court and off the court. I’m going to dinners and doing the little things to try to acclimate myself a little bit faster.”

What are you doing with the relationship building, dinners and little things to help with the transition?

Sexton: “I’m being intentional with everything. It’s definitely been good, especially with me and Coach. We’ve been building that relationship on the court and building that trust. At times, he calls the plays. But he allows me to call plays as well. He’s building that trust. So through the thick and thin, he might scream and yell at me. But I know it’s not personal. I feel like, at the end of the day, sometimes when the game is amplified up, sometimes you scream and yell at teammates. But at the end of the day, those are relationships. Those are things that show that I trust my teammates and I trust my guys. So it’s not anything personal.”

How has it played out with determining when’s the time to run your coach’s play or relying on your own instincts?

Sexton: “It’s just a feel, honestly. Maybe I’ll run two or three plays right in that time. Or if I’m out there with Kon, Brandon [Miller] and LaMelo and Miles [Bridges], if they hadn’t shot the ball in a minute, I’m making sure that I’m reading the game. Then maybe I’ll call a play for them, get them a shot or get them an easy one to the basket. Or if they’re having a tough time getting open, I’ll find a play to make sure that they can capitalize and score.”

How do you evaluate the team’s start so far beyond the win-loss record?

Sexton: “We’re doing great. If you think about all of the games that we lost by less than three points, it’s been amazing. I don’t know how many games it was….”

You’ve lost nine games by single digits.

Sexton: “It’s nine? So say we win five out of the nine in those because we executed down the stretch, then we’re having a different discussion. I feel like, at the end of the day, that’s something that we’ve known. But it’s also something we continue to monitor and continue to get better at.”

What are the common threads that explain the close losses? 

Sexton: “I would say just a little execution toward the end. Also, it’s about making sure that we’re staying disciplined. Being disciplined on certain guys and not fouling down the stretch. It’s about doing the little things to make sure that we take it home.”

Editor’s note: The following portion of the interview took place after the Hornets’ loss to the Clippers on Monday. Sexton missed the game because of left hamstring soreness.

How are you holding up with your injury? 

Sexton: “Feeling good. This was just precautionary. You know how it goes.”

Do you have any feedback for Thursday’s game [against the Lakers]?

Sexton: “I should be good to go. Absolutely. I did everything they asked me to go through. We just have to be cautious, especially with it being early in the season.”

Incidentally, we left off talking about the team being in close games, but not being able to finish. What was your read on the latest game against the Clippers?

Sexton: “It was definitely another close game. We have to learn how to finish the game, but also put teams away. Whenever we’re up, we have to have the habit of having a killer mentality. We should throw the last punch. I feel like tonight we weren’t able to get over that hump. But you could tell that we were definitely making strides.”

What goes into developing a killer mentality?

Sexton: “I would say experience. If you haven’t played meaningful basketball or close games, it’s hard to know how to do that. When I say meaningful basketball, I mean there are games where we’re up five with three or four minutes to go. Those games teach you how to close and finish the games. Also, when you’re down by five with two minutes to go, we got to dig deep and figure it out.”

You had some key wins this season against OKC and Toronto. Why did you all pull away in those ones?

Sexton: “Honestly, we just continued to dig down and we did it together. When we’re at our best, we’re together. The ball is popping and the ball is moving. Against Utah, the ball was moving and guys were getting open shots. It was fun. Sometimes you don’t want to shoot the ball every time you have it. But it still feels good to feel it. It also gives you that feeling that we’re locking in together.”

Charles said beforehand that you play with an “edge.” In what ways do you try to show that?

Sexton: “Honestly, whenever I step in between those lines, I give it my all. Whenever I step in between those lines, I always play like it is my last game. I grew up in a tough, tough family background to where it was like, ‘If you want something, you got to go out and get it.’ I feel like that is something that I’ll always keep with me. No one is going to give me anything in life. You have to go take it.”

With whatever you’re willing to share, what are the events growing up that shaped you into who you are today?

Sexton: “I would say it’s all family. We have a close-knit family. We clean buildings. We did lawncare. And we did it together. That was something that we did. At the forefront, it was my parents. My parents, both my Mom and Dad, taught us hard work and taught us that if you want anything out of this life, you have to be willing to sacrifice. You have to put your sacrifices out there. Sometimes, you might want to go to a party. But you can’t do it. You have to go to the gym. So it’s about making sure that you’re sacrificing and also you’re doing everything with intention and with a purpose.”

So you had to do a lot of side jobs and chores?

Sexton: “Oh yeah. Chores, oh my goodness. My parents had my brother (Jordan), my sister (Giauna) and I doing a lot of chores. But it was definitely cool. I feel like we were a competitive family. Both of my parents are competitors. So is my sister and my brother. We grew up and pretty much wanted to win at everything. Connect Four, that was me and my brother’s favorite game. Tic-tac-toe, whatever it was, we were going to compete.”

What were those games like?

Sexton: “It was definitely fun. My brother and I used to play a lot of one-on-one. Those were memories that I would never be able to forget. He was one of the reasons why I am tough and one of the reasons why I am like this. I used to get pushed down and knocked down. But I would get back to it and get right back up on my feet. I feel like that’s how I look at the game. I might get bumped and pushed down. But I’m not going to be defeated.”

Did you win most of those games?

 Sexton: “Oh yeah. Well, sometimes (laughs). For sure, for sure.”

How did your siblings respond?

Sexton: “Once I got a little older, I started winning a lot. With our family background, there was a lot of trash-talking. It was hard-nosed. We would often just go at it.”

What chores did you have to do?

Sexton: “Taking the trash out, cleaning, everything. They had me do everything. We would all pretty much split it up. But those little things build character. Those are the things that build character. It gives you a different perspective. We’ve done everything. Anything my brother, sister and I could do to get some shoes, we could. Those things built character. My parents instilled that in us real early.”

Pertaining to now, Charles and Kon both mentioned that you set a good example with your work ethic and how you take care of your body. What do you try to show them with your day-to-day?

Sexton: “I would say it’s about being a true professional. What is a true professional? I feel like being a true professional is someone that comes in each and every day. No matter if it’s snowing outside or there’s sunshine, they’re the same person through the good and the bad. I feel like that is something that I always bring. I’m just someone that wants to lead by example. I got a lot of young guys looking up to me. I got a lot of young guys asking for my feedback. So if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing, how can I give you feedback? I feel like that’s something that I’m making sure that I do.

Always since my rookie season, I’m in the gym early. I’m getting shots up. I’m taking care of my body. Even on game day, I’m up there at 7 am. That’s been every single game day since the middle of my first year. I just take pride in working. I know that the results are happening because I put the time in. I might miss a shot. But I know this is the same shot that I took every day for the last couple of days. So every gameday at 7 am, that’s what I do.”

How have you been a mentor to LaMelo?

Sexton: “He’s a great player. He’s a great, young player. He’s very gifted. Being someone that is very serious and very on top of it, I feel like that’s rubbing off on him in a way where everything he is doing is with intention. He’s responding really well. I feel like we’re building a really good connection and a really good friendship. At the end of the day, he trusts me and I trust him. Trust isn’t just given. It’s earned. I earn his trust. He earns my trust. When we’re out there on the court, he knows that I got his back.”

How have you seen him deal with any frustrations with the record and his injuries?

Sexton: “He deals with them really well. He’s one of those people that is like, ‘How can I be better? How can I get better?’ He puts everything on himself. He’s one of those people that doesn’t point the finger to anyone – to the coaches or to us. He’s always like, ‘It’s on me.’ I feel like as a leader and as someone that is our guy for this team, for him to do that, he could easily point to someone else. But he takes the blame. You can tell how mature and how good of a person he is. People don’t realize how good of a person he is. Off the court, he gives back. He’s one of those that sets an example. He does stuff in the community. People don’t really see that. He’s giving out shoes and doing things for the community.”

Why have you all formed a good connection?

Sexton: “Because we’re both the youngest in our families. We were talking about it a while ago. We’re both competitors. We compete each and every day. We compete at shootaround. We know that we’re going to compete. Me pushing him and him pushing me allows me to be a better shooter and same thing for him. I’ve been enjoying being his teammate and also being someone that can have conversations with about anything.”

Kon was drafted at No. 4 for a reason. But why do you think he’s been prepared to make an immediate two-way impact?

Sexton: “He’s a professional. He’s willing to work. He’s one of those people that is really level-headed. It could be snowing. It could be storming. But he always stays focused. He continues to put in the work. I think he’s one of those people that is a true competitor. But he’s also one of those people that is just a good dude. You can tell that he loves the game and studies the game. He’s one of those people that you can ask him any question about basketball and he will know it. You can tell when somebody has a different passion and different love for the game, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win and be good in the game.”

Even just a quarter in the season, a few executives and scouts I talked to say he has a case for Rookie of the Year because of his consistency with his all-around game. Why has he been consistent?

Sexton: “He’s special. He’s not special because he’s just scoring the basketball. Being special doesn’t just come from being on the basketball court. Being special also comes off the court. He’s one of those people that is, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ ‘No, ma’am,’ ‘How are you doing?’ He’s coming into the room and speaking. He’s never big-headed. He’s special. With being his teammate and being able to see his development and see him take off from the jump, I’ve been super excited. His consistency comes from his preparation. He prepares the right way. I feel like when you prepare the right way, and I feel like I prepare the right way, the consistency happens. You’re playing well. Your shots are falling.

As long as you are consistent with your preparation and your habits, that’s something that I take pride in. It’s about waking up early, getting my shots up and getting my work in. Then in my mind, I’m like, ‘I shot this shot 50 times. I made this shot 200 times. I’ve shot this shot and made it so many times. So I have the confidence to go out and shoot it.’ If you’re prepared, it’s miss or make.”

How do you look at both the opportunity and uncertainty being a free agent next summer brings both for the offseason and this upcoming trade deadline?

Sexton: “This is something that my family and I have always done. We give it to God. We allow God to lead me down the right path. Whatever his will is, that’s what it is. But I’ll always try to be a professional, be where my feet are at and stay grounded and not look too far into the future. It’s easy to look ahead with ‘What if,’ but you never know. Things happen. God changes certain things. At the end of the day, you have to be ready for whatever he brings and whatever life throws at you. With being so grounded and having great faith, I’m ready for whatever situation. I love coming in each and every day competing for this team. That’s something that I’ll do while I’m here. That’s just who I am. I don’t look ahead to this year or that year. I’m at where my feet at. But I appreciate that. It’s a real question. Thank you for that.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.