The Los Angeles Lakers do not know yet whether their new starting center will play, and this Walker Kessler injury update is why. Head coach JJ Redick said after Saturday’s practice that he is “not committed” to Kessler making his preseason debut Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (tip-off is 7 p.m. PT). Kessler has missed all three exhibition games so far, and on Saturday he hit his finger on a backboard during a drill.
This follows our report on the Lakers’ rebounding problem, which asked how much of it was about a missing center. Redick’s answers Saturday add detail.
Walker Kessler Injury Update: What Redick Said
According to Redick, Kessler began Saturday’s practice as a full, live participant. Then came the setback. “We were doing a drill and he hit his finger on the backboard,” Redick said. Kessler stayed for about half of practice and did everything except live drills.
The plan from here, in Redick’s words: “We’ll see tomorrow if he can do live and we’ll see Monday. We’ll probably do some live Monday but more of a teaching day and a film day. So we’ll see. I can’t commit to that now.”
Redick has called the injury minor from the start, and the Los Angeles Times reported that he said it is minor enough that Kessler could play through it if this were the regular season. That matters for how cautious the Lakers are being. The regular season opens October 21, and the Lakers have two preseason games left: Tuesday against Golden State and Friday, October 16, against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.
The stakes are high because of what the Lakers paid. The Los Angeles Times and the New York Post both report that the Lakers acquired Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade and gave him a four-year, $130 million contract. The Times says the Lakers are counting on him to anchor their defense and to give Luka Doncic a lob threat.
Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams and Arthur Kaluma
Kessler is not the only newcomer yet to play. Collin Sexton, the veteran guard the Lakers signed for scoring punch, is dealing with a lower-leg issue and has not played in the preseason either. “Collin was modified again. He probably is a little bit further behind,” Redick said, comparing Sexton’s timeline to Kessler’s.
There was good news on the wing. Arthur Kaluma returned Saturday and was a full participant. Ziaire Williams is still dealing with a foot contusion. “Again, it’s not a concern,” Redick said. According to the Times, he has missed the last two games.
The Lakers are 2-1 in the preseason, and Redick’s hope, as Lakers Nation put it, is to have the whole roster available for one of the last two games. That is a hope, not a promise.
Redick’s Plan Without Kessler: Bigger Wings and Gang Rebounding
With Kessler out, Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili have split the center minutes. Looney leads the team with 17 rebounds in three games, according to the Times. Redick explained how he wants those lineups to work.
“It’s important to have two of the bigger wings out there for rebounding purposes,” he said. “That was a concern, I think, coming into the year … trying to be a good defensive rebounding team. What does that look like with Walker not on the court? And I think in film, it’s pretty apparent that we need to do a better job of boxing out. Just like simple stuff and gang rebounding.”
He named Doncic, Adou Thiero and Mamukelashvili as the possible bigger wings. Thiero started in Williams’ place, and the Times credits him with a team-high 11 defensive rebounds in three games. Doncic praised him: “I told him that the second pickup game in Slovenia, what I saw from him, just understanding the game better, reading the game, I think he improved a lot in the summer.”
The numbers explain Redick’s urgency. The Times reports the Lakers rank 28th in the preseason at 37.7 rebounds per game, and Sacramento grabbed 20 offensive rebounds Thursday. Our own tally of the three box scores, 113 rebounds, agrees with that average.
Looney, for his part, likes what the wings bring. “It makes my job a lot easier,” he said. “As long as I talk early, they’re going to get over the screen. I don’t have to be caught playing two. Those guys are able to recover, they’re able to block shots, they’re able to pop back and get rebounds.”
The Ball-Handling Question Behind the Turnovers
Sexton’s absence also hurts in another way. The Lakers signed him in part to be a third ball handler next to Doncic and Austin Reaves, and without him the options shrink. Redick said he wants multiple ball handlers on the floor at all times because of how teams pressure.
The result shows up in the turnover column. The Lakers average 23.7 turnovers per game in the preseason, fourth most in the league, according to the Times. Redick named turnovers, along with offensive rebounds, as the two things bothering the team after Thursday’s win over Sacramento. Mamukelashvili has helped with 11 assists, per the Times, and Redick is excited to install what the paper calls the “Mamu package” of plays and after-timeout sets.
Doncic Says the Championship Belief Is There
Doncic was upbeat about all of it. Asked about Kessler, he said, “I’m very excited. Obviously, kind of involved, not signing him, but there was a lot of communication with Rob and JJ about him, so I’m very excited to just share the floor with him.” Rob is Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
On the larger picture, the Times quoted him: “Since the first day everybody came together in Slovenia … I believed that we can win a championship.” The Lakers added nine new players this offseason, so how they fit together is the whole story of this preseason.
Infanity TV was at Saturday’s practice. Here is Doncic’s full answer on camera:
The same practice produced two more clips: Redick on Doncic: “Not a Normal Human Being” and Looney on Doncic: “One of the Best Closers”.
What to Watch Tuesday in Las Vegas
- Kessler’s status. Watch whether he does live work Sunday and Monday. Redick himself said he cannot commit yet.
- The center rotation. If Kessler sits, expect Looney and Mamukelashvili again, with two bigger wings beside them.
- Boxing out. Redick named it as the fix. The Warriors will test it.
- Ball handling. With Sexton still behind Kessler, the Lakers will lean on Doncic and Reaves, and their turnover numbers are the thing to watch.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Kessler, Sexton or Williams play Tuesday. Redick would only say “not committed” about Kessler.
- When Kessler and Sexton will make their debuts. Redick said both injuries are minor but gave no dates.
Our look at the Lakers’ zone defense in the win over Sacramento shows what the team can do when it is healthy enough to experiment.
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