The Lakers are betting big that Walker Kessler can give them the kind of defensive backbone Rudy Gobert has provided Minnesota.
That comparison has followed Kessler for a while. The two are linked by the trade that sent Kessler to the Timberwolves just weeks after he was drafted, when Minnesota packaged him in the deal to land Gobert. They also share the same defensive calling card: both are rim protectors who thrive in drop coverage.
Now the connection has shifted to Los Angeles, where Kessler arrived this offseason in a sign-and-trade. For the Lakers, he fills an obvious hole. Since trading Anthony Davis, they’ve been without high-end rim protection, and last season they finished 18th in defensive rating per Cleaning the Glass.
That’s why Kessler matters so much to their ceiling. The Lakers paid heavily to get him, sending two unprotected picks and two pick swaps while signing him to a four-year, $130 million contract.
If he turns into the kind of anchor they’re hoping for, he could reshape their defense the way Gobert has done in Minnesota over the past four seasons. The Athletic’s Tony Jones has even said as much.
But that’s also where the pressure lives. Gobert isn’t just a similar body type or style match.
He’s one of the league’s true defensive giants - at minimum, one of the five best defenders in basketball, and arguably closer to three. Among pure rim protectors, he’s the standard after Victor Wembanyama.
That’s a steep target for Kessler to chase.
The Lakers don’t need him to be exactly Gobert. They do need him to get close enough to matter, ideally as a top-10-ish rim protector who can cover for the cracks around him.
And there are cracks. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves make up a backcourt that is below average on defense.
Quentin Grimes is probably their best stopper, but he hasn’t proven it yet. Jarred Vanderbilt and Matisse Thybulle are elite defenders, but their offensive limitations will keep them from logging huge minutes.
So Kessler is going to be asked to do a lot.
There is reason for optimism. In his last fully healthy season in 2024-25, Kessler ranked in the 99th percentile in rim protection and the 97th percentile in rim deterrence per Basketball Index. He’s averaged 2.4 blocks for his career, which tells you the shot-blocking is real.
The question is whether he can lift a defense that needs more than just one good shot eraser. In his three healthy seasons, Utah finished 24th, 30th, and 29th in defensive rating. And the Jazz were never more than 4.6 points per 100 possessions better with Kessler on the floor.
That’s the gap between promising and proven.
Gobert, by contrast, has been a defense all by himself. Minnesota was 11.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court last season, the kind of on/off number that screams impact. That’s the level the Lakers are hoping Kessler can eventually approach.
For now, though, that certainty belongs to the Timberwolves. They already have what the Lakers are trying to build.
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