Lakers’ Walker Kessler makes impression by being ‘relentless’

LAS VEGAS — Lakers coach JJ Redick’s problem for Walker Kessler is easy: Be “relentless”.

Relentless with his motor on both ends of the flooring. With his working and altering ends in between possessions. With his screening and rolling towards the rim. With his rebounding.

The Lakers got that in abundance during their marquee acquisition’s preseason debut, which came in a 101-89 loss to the Warriors on Tuesday evening at T-Mobile Arena in the workforce’s penultimate exhibition.

The 7-foot-2 heart completed with 11 factors, 9 rebounds (two offensive boards), one block and one steal in 16 first-half minutes before sitting out of the second half. 

Kessler, who the Lakers acquired from the Jazz as half of a sign-and-trade with the Jazz that included a four-year, $130 million contract for the huge man, missed the first three preseason video games after injuring his left pinky finger.

“He’s a great fit for our team,” Redick said of Kessler. “He did a good job of working the flooring, crashing, had some terrific rebounds in visitors [and] protected the rim. Just [a] actually good first half from him. 

“Overall really good for someone who didn’t play for, whatever it is, 10 days.”

Kessler’s impression on the Lakers was as huge as his 270-pound body. 

The Lakers won the 16 minutes he was on the flooring by 15 factors in what was Kessler’s first NBA sport in almost a full calendar yr after he performed just 5 common season video games in 2025-26 because of a season-ending left shoulder surgical procedure. 

“It was a lot of fun being out there again,” Kessler said. “It’s been so long. Before the game, I was actually pretty nervous, to be honest. But, getting out there and just playing with the guys, it was a blast.”

The No. 22 choose in the 2022 draft made his presence felt in the Lakers’ first possession without recording a statistic in the box rating.

After Austin Reaves missed a pull-up 13-foot jumper out of the choose and roll with Kessler, the huge man fought for the offensive rebound, with the ball bouncing off of Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg’s arms and going out of rebounds, ensuing in a workforce offensive rebound for the Lakers.

“JJ and I talked, and that’s kind of what we came up with this year: ‘Relentless,’ ” Kessler said. “And for me, that means just crashing every time, trying to be a presence in the paint, inside, outside, play hard, don’t take plays off, on the offensive end and defensive end. That’s going to be my goal for this year.”

After the Lakers inbounded the ball, Reaves ran another choose and roll with his new beginning heart, with the huge man out of Auburn rolling onerous to the basket and bringing in the Warriors low man (Gui Santos) into the paint, main to Reaves making the drive-and-kick move to Quentin Grimes for an open nook 3-pointer.

The Lakers created several open seems from beyond the arc because of Kessler’s roll gravity. 

“He created probably four or five really good looks for us from 3 just rolling hard,” Reaves said. “Nobody’s gonna give him credit for it, but him putting pressure on the rim and roll opportunities gonna make the big guy sink, and we’re gonna get wide open 3s. We had quite a bit of them.”

With one more preseason sport on Friday against the Nuggets in Los Angeles, and one week before the Lakers open the common season against the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, Kessler is trying to construct off Tuesday’s displaying. 

“Just game feel, honestly,” he responded when requested what he’s trying to improve on. “That will come with time and just playing with the guys now that I’m cleared. Conditioning-wise, I actually felt good out there. First wind was a little tough, but after I got past that, my legs kind of got under me and I felt good.”