Ever since the Charlotte Hornets hired Jeff Peterson as executive vice president of basketball operations, culture has been emphasized. Indeed, after both the 2024 NBA Draft and 2025 NBA Draft, enhancing the culture was part of the rationale for their selections. So, when Charlotte acquired Collin Sexton in an offseason trade with the Utah Jazz, it stands to reason that they expected him to contribute to their culture as well.

Whether or not that’s come up in conversations between Sexton and the Hornets brass is unknown. However, it’s clear that the seven-year NBA veteran’s mindset is certainly on culture and leadership. With that in mind, Sexton only has one year remaining on his contract, but he’s already sounding like a long-term addition.

“Super excited,” Sexton told The Observer’s Roderick Boone. “Super grateful for the opportunity. Ready to come in and help build the culture, and just be a leader right away. I feel like the last couple of weeks practicing and stuff, it’s been a lot of fun but also getting used to the guys.”

Long known as a fiery competitor, the 26-year-old has become increasingly vocal over the past couple of seasons. Even in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, he can be seen coaching from the sideline. In those moments, he’s usually seated alongside one of his new teammates. Indeed, his efforts to ingratiate himself with the organization even led to him being present for the Hornets rookie class signing their first contracts.

“I was just super excited,” Sexton repeats, relaying his feelings about the second trade of his career. “Super ready to get to know the coaches and get to know the organization.”

As Sexton discussed his first weeks with the organization, he revealed that he and Hornets face of the franchise LaMelo Ball “have been working out these last couple of weeks together.” Specifically, they’ve been “playing off one another and trying to learn” each other. For example: “‘OK, LaMelo likes his shots here. How can I get him open, how can I get a few easy ones?’”

“Just helping him take pressure off, if he ever gets into the paint or I need to pick up,” he explains. “I need to be able to pick up on defense and just being there for him. We talk so much about how can we help one another…”

That being said, there’s been no official confirmation that Sexton will be a starter next season. Nonetheless, from the way the former eighth overall pick is talking, that’s Plan A. Lending credence to that belief are myriad factors. Namely, Sexton’s body of work, Ball’s success alongside Terry Rozier , and Charles Lee’s past experience.