Lakers’ Walker Kessler Gets Major Endorsement From NBA Champion
· Yahoo Sports
Walker Kessler does not need the ball to make Luka Dončić’s life easier.
That may be exactly why the Los Angeles Lakers wanted him.
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Los Angeles needed a center who could erase mistakes at the rim, finish possessions on the glass and turn Dončić’s pick-and-roll wizardry into dunks rather than another layer of decision-making. Kessler arrives with a skill set built for that job.
Former Lakers forward Horace Grant sees something else in the 7-footer: an edge Los Angeles had been missing.
“No disrespect to Deandre Ayton and the rest of those guys, but I think they were missing that toughness in the middle,” Grant told Action Network. “The rim protector. He can score, block shots, rebound. That toughness.”
Grant’s assessment is backed by Kessler’s résumé.
Walker Kessler Has Been One of NBA’s Best Shot Blockers
He averaged at least 2.3 blocks per game in each of his first three full seasons and finished second in the NBA at 2.4 blocks per game in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Even while appearing in just 58 games in 2024-25, he still finished fourth in the league with 138 total blocks.
The production on the glass was just as impressive.
Kessler averaged 12.2 rebounds per game in 2024-25, fifth-best in the NBA, giving Los Angeles exactly the sort of possession-ending presence Grant believes it lacked.
“I think the core with Reaves, Luka and Kessler — I think he’s going to be very good for them in the middle,” Grant said.
For a Lakers team built around Dončić and Austin Reaves, the appeal is obvious. Neither guard has to carry the defense if Kessler can clean up mistakes behind them.
Kessler Gives Lakers Star Luka Doncic a Proven Lob Partner
GettyWalker Kessler of the Utah Jazz dunks over Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of their game at the Delta Center on October 22, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah.The offensive fit could be just as valuable.
Kessler recorded 131 dunks in 58 games during the 2024-25 season and has nearly 400 career dunks through his first four NBA seasons.
That is the sort of finishing profile that should thrive next to Dončić.
Few guards manipulate pick-and-roll defenses as effectively. Dončić can force the opposing big to step toward the ball, freeze the weak-side defender and deliver lobs from angles most players never attempt.
Kessler does not need post touches or isolation possessions to be effective.
Screen. Dive. Catch. Finish.
That simplicity is valuable on a team where Dončić and Reaves will dominate the important possessions.
Team USA Experience Adds Another Layer
GettyUSA’s Walker Kessler (L) tries to block Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (R) during the FIBA Basketball World Cup game for third place between USA and Canada in Manila on September 10, 2023.Kessler also has international experience in a complementary role.
He represented the United States at the 2023 FIBA World Cup alongside Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton and Reaves.
Kessler played seven games and, despite limited minutes, averaged 1.3 blocks per game to lead Team USA in that category.
The role was familiar: defend the rim, rebound and finish when opportunities appeared.
That is essentially what the Lakers will ask of him now.
Grant’s point was not that Kessler needs to become another star. It was that Los Angeles needed more resistance in the middle.
Kessler brings that in measurable ways — elite block production, top-tier rebounding and a finishing profile tailor-made for Dončić.
The Lakers already have their offensive engine.
Kessler’s job is to make everything around him sturdier, simpler and more dangerous near the rim.
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