Walker Kessler Adding Dangerous New Element to Lakers’ Offense

The biggest move the Los Angeles Lakers made to officially kick off the post-LeBron James era during the NBA offseason was pulling off the shocking sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz to acquire two-way center Walker Kessler.

It was a game-changing move for the Lakers, with the team now having one of the league's best young centers, who prides himself on defense. The Lakers brass was determined to upgrade the center position, and they accomplished that goal in a big way, as they’ll have their defensive anchor in the paint for the foreseeable future.

Walker Kessler Working on Becoming a Legitimate Stretch Five

Even though Kessler played in only five regular-season games for the Jazz last season, the rising star showed significant improvement in his outside shooting.

Before last season, Kessler was strictly a big man who got his work done in the paint, but last year, he changed that, shooting 75 percent from beyond the arc on nearly two attempts a game.

During practice in training camp on Saturday, Kessler gave a bit of a preview of his offseason work on shooting from deep, and it was impressive, to say the least, via Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation.

3-and-D Walker Kessler? pic.twitter.com/es2vRSH2pe
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) October 3, 2026

Unlike in Utah, Kessler will have the luxury of getting some wide-open looks from three-point range playing alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who draw so much attention when they have the basketball.

That’ll give Kessler the opportunity to be a legitimate threat from beyond the arc, which obviously will be a great asset for the new-look Lakers.

Along with potentially being a legitimate stretch five for the Lakers, Kessler will also thrive as a lob threat for this team, which he touched on during media day.

“Obviously, playing with a guy like Luka [Doncic] and AR (Austin Reaves), who are unbelievable guards, especially and even AR in the pick-and-roll, but Luka in Dallas with playing the kind of lob-threat big, the formula has been done before, and it makes sense,” Kessler said.

After signing a massive four-deal with Los Angeles, the new Lakers center is all in and is ready to “run through a brick wall” for the franchise and his teammates.

“As far as the belief that they've shown to me, it makes me excited for this year. It makes me feel like that I can run through a brick wall for this organization, this team, my teammates.”

Luka Doncic ‘Really Wanted’ Walker Kessler on the Lakers

Doncic made it clear to the Lakers organization after last season that he wanted a better center in the paint that would play to his strengths.

Basically, Doncic wanted a consistent lob threat and a player who is a force to be reckoned with defensively. The 25-year-old center checks both of those boxes, and the new face of the Lakers franchise admitted that he wanted Kessler the entire time.

“I really wanted him,” Doncic said of Kessler. “I think the organization wanted him. I wanted him. All the players wanted him. I think it's an amazing fit for us. Obviously, a rim protector. But then our offense, he improved so much that he's going to help us a lot.”

Although there are many questions about this revamped roster and how the new pieces will fit around Doncic and Reaves, the team has the potential to be a force on both ends of the floor, and it all starts with Kessler.

If the two-way center does turn out to be the perfect fit on this squad, he can help unlock this team and potentially put the franchise back in the title-contending conversation with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.

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