The Lakers’ first loss of the season did more than hand Portland a 136-129 win. It put a spotlight right back on a problem that keeps showing up for LA: what happens when Walker Kessler comes off the floor.
Luka Doncic poured in 41 points, but the night still ended with the Portland Trail Blazers leaving with a deserved win and their own record untouched at 3-0. For the Lakers, the bigger issue wasn’t the scoring burden. It was the lack of a reliable answer behind Kessler.
Kevon Looney was brought in on a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the expectation that he’d give the Lakers solid minutes and a steady veteran presence. That hasn’t happened.
Against Portland, he logged five minutes and finished with nothing across the board: 0 points, 0 rebounds and 0 assists. Across the first four games, he’s a minus-29 in his minutes.
Here’s how those outings have gone so far:
Oct 22, 2026 vs. Golden State Warriors - 15 MIN, 6 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, -7
Oct 24, 2026 vs. LA Clippers - 5 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, -9
Oct 25, 2026 @ Utah Jazz - 5 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, -5
Oct 28, 2026 vs.
Portland Trail Blazers - 5 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, -8
That stretch has only sharpened the concern among Lakers fans, who are already sounding off about Looney’s role. One called him “unplayable”, while another posted “please get Kevon Looney off my basketball court”.
With Looney struggling, JJ Redick has turned to Sandro Mamukelashvili as the backup center instead, even though he’s apparently less effective there than when he’s on the wing. The Lakers are still 3-1, but the backup center spot looks like one that may need a trade to fix it.
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Clippers Have A Clear Chance To Punish One Lakers Weakness
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Kessler has averaged 8.2 rebounds a game this season, a career low per 36 minutes, but Redick said he sees the ability there for him to be better in that department. For the Lakers, the concern is obvious: against a Clippers team looking for any edge, second-chance chances and missed box-outs can turn into the kind of game-deciding pressure that exposes a thin margin for error. [Read more 🡒]