The Los Angeles Lakers traded four first-round picks to add Walker Kessler this summer, also signing him to a four-year, $130 million contract in what the team hoped would guarantee an upgraded defense this season.
Four games into the year, that hasn’t been the case, as the Lakers currently rank 22nd in defensive rating and most recently gave up 136 points in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
On offense, the Lakers remain strong, currently 2nd on that side of the floor as franchise star Luka Doncic is making arguably his best case to win the MVP award of his career. Still, most title-contending teams are successful on defense, and through the Lakers’ first four contests of the season, the team’s numbers on that end of the floor are concerning, to say the least.
Lakers Defense With Walker Kessler Hasn’t Improved
On paper, Kessler is one of the best defensive centers in the NBA. He has a career blocks average of 2.4 per game, and is putting up 2.8 rejections so far this season.
However, with only one true player with the ability to make an impact on that side of the ball, Kessler hasn’t done enough to elevate the Lakers on defense as a whole. The front office added wings like Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams to pick up the slack for Doncic and Austin Reaves, but as the statistics show, the team’s defense hasn’t improved.
Writing for ESPN before the Lakers’ loss to the Trail Blazers, Dave McMenamin gave a tough outlook on the roster on that side of the floor.
“L.A.’s defense hasn’t shown anything yet,” he wrote. “But their wins this season have come against the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers and Utah Jazz, who are a combined 3-8 to start the season. And the Lakers had to surge back from an 18-point deficit and rely on a 52-point night from Doncic after allowing the Jazz to score 47 in the first quarter. The Lakers’ awesome offense won’t be enough on its own to carry them as the competition stiffens.”
It’s tough to put all the blame on Kessler, because one player can’t elevate an entire team on that end of the floor. Still, with the massive risk the Lakers took to add him instead of multiple players on smaller deals, it might start to look like the warnings about the seven-footer are coming true.
“Unfortunately, Kessler’s niche skills won’t be nearly enough to make Los Angeles relevant in the championship picture. And that’s where a team that just made a trade as consequential as the one that landed him should wind up,” Grant Hughes wrote.
“Here’s what’s so tantalizing about that bet: It could work brilliantly or backfire spectacularly,” ESPN’s Ben Golliver had to say about the Lakers’ Kessler addition. “With the Lakers’ ownership situation in flux, there’s no telling what the fallout would look like if the costly Kessler acquisition doesn’t pay immediate dividends.”
Overall, Kessler has been solid, and though he had a dud against the Utah Jazz, he’s likely still getting into form after missing almost all of last year.
Still, after all the hype around him this offseason, so far, it hasn’t improved the Lakers’ defense. The team doesn’t have a lot of high-end players who can impact the game on that side of the floor, and if Kessler isn’t doing enough to make them at least a top-half defensive team, the concerns about going all-in on him might start to show.
Luka Doncic Is Still Leading The Offense At An MVP Level
Despite the defensive struggles, the Lakers have been successful so far on the offensive end of the floor, currently ranked second in offensive rating through four games.
The team is averaging 126.3 points per game and leads the league in field goal percentage at 55%.
Additionally, Doncic is playing at an MVP level. Through four games, he is averaging a league-leading 36 points, along with 6.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. He’s a top MVP candidate right now, and if he can continue putting these types of numbers on the board while the team keeps winning, there’s a strong chance he stays in contention for the MVP honor throughout the season.
Reaves has also been solid scoring the ball so far, putting up 2.65 points in the first four games, which is a career high for the undrafted star.
The role players have also been doing a good job finding points, but the Lakers will need to keep that trend going for 78 more games to stay near the top of the league in offensive rating.
Through NBA history, teams that are top-ten in both offensive and defensive rating are the ones that make it further in the playoffs. Right now, that’s not the Lakers. As exciting as they’ve been on offense, the defensive concerns are huge.
It’s tough to blame it all on Kessler, but until something changes, it’ll be on him to carry them on that end of the floor to keep up with the offense.
Lakers Get Troubling Walker Kessler News Amid Luka Doncic MVP Push