The Lakers believe they’ve finally found the center to stabilize the middle, and Walker Kessler already sounds like he’s buying into the mission.
Los Angeles landed Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz, giving the roster the kind of defensive anchor it has been chasing heading into the offseason. The expectation is simple: Kessler is supposed to be the backbone of that defense for a long time.
He’s not walking into this alone, either. The Lakers also added defensive-minded pieces such as Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams, and that group is already talking the same language.
After the team’s first practice of training camp earlier this week, Kessler was openly impressed with what he sees on that side of the floor. Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton were among the other newcomers who stressed how important it will be for the Lakers to become a force defensively this season.
That message appears to have come straight from third-year head coach JJ Redick. The tone around the group makes it clear that if players can defend, they’ll have a real path to minutes during the 2026-27 campaign.
Kessler’s arrival comes with some obvious questions attached. Last season, he played in only five regular-season games for the Jazz after a shoulder injury ended his year and required surgery to repair a torn labrum. That was his first major injury in the NBA, so the Lakers had reason to be careful before making the move.
Rob Pelinka and the front office did their due diligence, including speaking with Kessler’s doctors, and came away confident that he can hold up physically in Los Angeles. Kessler also said at Lakers media day that he is fully healthy going into training camp.
If that holds, the Lakers could have exactly what they were after: a rim protector who can clean up the paint and let the perimeter defenders take more risks. With Kessler in the middle, Thybulle and Williams on the outside, and the rest of the roster getting the same defensive memo, this group could be a lot tougher to score on.
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