Without a doubt the biggest addition the Los Angeles Lakers made to their roster this offseason was acquiring center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. Getting a true center to pair with Luka Doncic has long been a priority and the Lakers believe they have found the right piece in the fifth-year big out of Auburn.
There are a lot of questions surrounding the Lakers going into this season with many wondering just how good this team can be considering all of the roster turnover. Many are focusing on the duo of Doncic and Austin Reaves being capable of leading this team to a strong year, but in the eyes of former Laker Robert Horry, it is Kessler who will be the key to success.
“When you watch what Walker Kessler brings to the game, he’s so incredibly skilled, and we haven’t had a big since AD who can block shots like that, pop out for 3s… I just hope he stays healthy,” Horry said in an interview with ESPN LA 710. “Him missing damn near all season, how much rust has he developed? Will he be able to knock that rust off and come back and be the center that everybody’s expecting him to be? So it’s going to be really interesting to see what he can do because he is the key. Not Luka. Not AR. He is.”
As Horry pointed out, Kessler played in just five games last season before missing the remainder of the year with a torn labrum, so obviously health will be a key factor. But assuming he is fine and back on the court, the Lakers will need Kessler to be the anchor of their defense and a finisher on offense.
Working the pick-and-roll with Doncic and Reaves should provide Kessler with a lot of easy baskets and he is also an elite offensive rebounder so creating extra possessions for the Lakers is a major positive as well. If he can pick up where he left off last year and mesh well with Doncic and Reaves, Horry is right in that his play will be crucial to the Lakers being one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season.
Collin Sexton says Walker Kessler will have huge defensive impact for Lakers
The Lakers also added a former teammate of Kessler this offseason in point guard Collin Sexton who, like Kessler, grew up in Georgia with both spending time together on the Utah Jazz. And Sexton believes Kessler will have a major impact defensively for the Lakers this season.
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