JJ Redick Casts Doubt on Walker Kessler’s Lakers Preseason Debut

Heading into the NBA preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were set to debut a squad that was almost completely overhauled during the summer, with several new players taking the floor to play alongside stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

The one Lakers newcomer who has head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff excited about the possibilities as the 2026-27 NBA season approaches is two-way center Walker Kessler.

JJ Redick ‘Not Committed’ to Walker Kessler Making Lakers Debut in Las Vegas

Unfortunately, Kessler hasn’t made his debut in purple and gold just yet, missing the first three games of the NBA preseason due to a finger injury, as Redick noted after practice on Saturday.

Redick was asked whether Kessler would make his debut against the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 13. The third-year head coach would not commit to his new star center playing against Golden State, via Lakers Nation.

“I would say we're not committed to that,” Redick said. “He definitely was in practice today. No live today, but did everything else, so he was in for about half the practice. We'll see tomorrow if he can do live, and we'll see Monday. We may do some live Monday. Probably likely will be more of a teaching day and a film day, so we'll see. I can't commit to that now.”

Redick and his coaching staff are in no rush to get Kessler on the floor because the last thing they want is for their new defensive anchor to reaggravate the injury, which would force him to miss more time.

Although the Lakers are taking the cautious approach with Kessler, there’s definitely a lot of anticipation to see what the revamped roster will look like with the 25-year-old patrolling the paint and catching lobs from Doncic and Reaves.

Redick provided a bit more information about how Kessler injured the finger.

“He was a live participant initially, and then we were doing a drill, and he hit his finger on the backboard,” Redick said of Kessler.

Along with Kessler, Collin Sexton, who is most familiar with the star center from their time together with the Utah Jazz, has yet to make his Lakers debut in the preseason.

Collin Sexton ‘Further Behind’ Than Walker Kessler

Sep 28, 2026; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers player Collin Sexton (10) during media day at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, Sexton, who is dealing with a lower-leg injury, doesn’t seem close to making his debut in purple and gold, as Redick said the veteran guard is “further behind” when compared to Kessler’s playing status.

“He's probably a little bit further behind,” Redick said of Sexton.

Obviously, that’s not great news, as Sexton will likely be leaned on heavily as a ballhandler and scorer off the bench for the Lakers during the 2026-27 campaign.

There hasn’t been much detail given about his injury, but it’s severe enough to keep him sidelined for the majority, if not all, of the preseason.

With a few key players dealing with injuries and unable to play during the preseason, Redick was asked whether that’s impacting his game planning moving forward.

“No effect on game planning,” Redick said. “You have to change a little bit of what your install pattern is relative to what you had planned, but we'll have enough time. We have a lot of bodies.

“We came into camp with 21 guys or whatever. We've got bodies, so we've been able to pretty much do everything in practice. Nothing's changed.”

The new-look Lakers have two games left on their preseason schedule, with the next game against the Warriors in Las Vegas on Tuesday, then finishing off the exhibition games by hosting Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thurs. Oct. 16 at Crypto.com Arena.

There is still a lot on the line for the players on the roster, with two starting spots up for grabs and Redick needing to figure out who deserves minutes in his rotation, making the final two matchups intriguing, to say the least.

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