JJ Redick Explains Why Walker Kessler Could Be Exactly What Lakers Needed

The Los Angeles Lakers believe their new center can play a major role alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the franchise enters a new era.

Sep 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers player Walker Kessler throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heading into the NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were determined to make some drastic changes while beginning to build the roster around Luka Doncic in the post-LeBron James era.

Along with re-signing Austin Reaves, which the team accomplished quickly, the Lakers' brass were adamant about adding a young, talented center to the roster who would be the ideal fit alongside Doncic and Reaves for the foreseeable future.

JJ Redick: Walker Kessler ‘Perfect Fit’ for Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves

Fortunately for Los Angeles, the team pulled off a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz to acquire center Walker Kessler.

Although the team gave up some valuable assets and Kessler was coming off a season in which he played only five games before having season-ending shoulder surgery, the Lakers felt confident they had the right man to anchor the team’s defense. 

During a press conference earlier this week, third-year head coach JJ Redick claimed Kessler is the “perfect fit” to play alongside Reaves and Doncic moving forward.

“I think Walker’s a perfect fit for Luka and AR,” Redick said of the Lakers’ new star center. “Just in terms of his rim protection and really being an anchor for our defense, it’s an area we’ve struggled with.”

Redick went into more detail about why Kessler is the perfect fit for this new-look Lakers roster, as he checks a lot of boxes on both ends of the floor.

“We look at him as someone we want close to the basket, protecting the rim,” Redick said of Kessler. “He’s been an excellent rebounder throughout his career, both offensively and defensively. And then he’s very capable of playing in the pocket and playing at the rim with lobs. … He’s just the perfect fit for those guys and building out the next phase of the Lakers.”

Redick is right on the money in his assessment of Kessler. The 25-year-old rising star is a game-changer for the Lakers on both ends and will likely take his game to another level entirely while playing with Doncic and Reaves.

The Auburn product is going from a losing situation with the Jazz, where there was no incentive to win, to a team with 17 championship banners hanging in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena and dedicated to being a perennial title contender.

Kessler has the opportunity to unlock something special in Los Angeles while being an important part of the new Lakers’ Big 3. 

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Not Concerned About Kessler’s Long-Term Health

Sep 24, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka speaks to the media during a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The primary concern about Kessler is obvious. He’s coming off shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, and the last thing the Lakers want is to invest in a young player at such an important position that can’t stay healthy.

However, longtime Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made it clear that they’ve done their homework on their new star center and spoke to the doctors who worked on him, who believe the surgery was a “one-time fix” and something that should be a concern heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

“In terms of Walker, we did such a deep dive in his medical,” Pelinka said. “We're so thankful for Chris Jones and his amazing staff. Dr. Neil Eltrage did his surgery, so, and we work closely with Neil as well, great doctor, and Chris and Neil had ultra confidence that that was like a one-time fix, and so not a lingering issue or anything other than just getting his shoulder fixed, so we have, he's fully healthy, fully cleared, and look forward to him playing in a lot of games this year.”

If this proves true, the Lakers have a potentially dominant two-way center who will be patrolling the paint and catching lobs for many years to come.

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