The Los Angeles Lakers will have a lot of fresh faces on the court this season. After getting swept in the second round of the playoffs, they decided to try a new approach. They overhauled the roster, and only two starters from last year return.
With this approach, Los Angeles decided to take a few big swings. That included a massive sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler. He is seen as one of the big keys to this season. According to ESPN, his ability to stop players at the rim will be the defining key to this year.
Walker Kessler’s Defensive Ability Seen as Key Lakers Stat for Upcoming Season
According to Zach Kram of ESPN, the stat that will define the Lakers’ season is Kessler’s ability to stop players at the rim. He has allowed just 54.6 percent shooting when defending players finishing at the rim. Kram believes that is the key to Los Angeles having success.
“Kessler remains relatively untested at the NBA level after four seasons toiling away for the noncompetitive Jazz, but his rim protection numbers are pristine. Over the course of his career, he ranks third (behind Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama, among players with at least 500 shots defended) by holding opponents to just 54.6% accuracy in the restricted area when he’s the closest defender, per GeniusIQ,” Kram writes.
The biggest reason why the Lakers made the trade for Kessler was to help improve the defense at the rim. With how bad the backcourt is defensively, they need someone who can make up for their mistakes. Rob Pelinka identified Kessler as that player.
Signing him to a $130 million contract after trading two first-round picks and two pick swaps is a massive gamble. They need this gamble to pay off immediately for them to have any shot of making a run in the Western Conference, even if it has gotten weaker.
The Lakers Need to Keep Walker Kessler Healthy in the Regular Season
The biggest risk that comes with making this trade is the lack of health that Kessler has had in his career. He has played fewer games every season of his career, and he played just five games last season. Kessler is a clear injury risk, even greater than Luka Doncic.
Doncic did not play in the playoffs at all last season after suffering a hamstring injury. He has yet to be healthy for a playoff run since getting traded to Los Angeles. Keeping him healthy for April will be key as well. However, they can’t lose Kessler early in the year as the Jazz did last year.
The Lakers had the 11th-worst defense in the NBA a year ago. A big reason for that was a lack of rim protection. Kessler is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA when he is healthy.
The One Stat That Will Define the Lakers’ Season Revealed