Walker Kessler delivers big opening night statement in Lakers debut
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LOS ANGELES – “Big crowd.”
Walker Kessler mumbled just loud enough for the press to hear him as the 7’2 big man sank into his seat at the podium following the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season-opening 127-105 rout over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
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The ease with which he answered questions – at one point, he said, “Contrary to my name, I run a lot” – mirrored how effortless he looked on the floor, always seeming to be in just the right place and just the right time to receive a lob from Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves.
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At one point early in the third quarter, Kessler was running behind the play as Dončić dribbled into the low post. Draymond Green stepped towards Dončić, freeing Kessler up in the paint with no one near him.
“Luka!” He shouted out.
Next thing Kessler knew, the ball was in his chest.
Dončić had rifled it behind his back past Green and right to Kessler and before the Warriors enforcer had any idea what had happened, Kessler was already coming back down from the rim.
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“He’s just wicked smart,” Kessler said of Dončić. “His basketball IQ is crazy, and I think he recognized I was running the floor. … He just found me.”
And it wasn’t just Luka Magic. Kessler finished the night a perfect 12 of 12 from the floor for 26 points, his shot chart entirely in the restricted area. Ten of those were dunks; the most in a game by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.
O’Neal gave Kessler his flowers on-air postgame.
“For so long, the Lakers big men have been historical and dominant,” he declared on Inside the NBA. “Walker Kessler is the best big man in the NBA.”
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A glowing review from Laker royalty, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The spotlight that comes with donning the purple and gold – especially at its glamor position – can be blinding. The weight of following in the legacy of Shaq, Kareem, Wilt and George Mikan has crushed other superstars before. Dwight Howard infamously spurned Kobe Bryant in 2013 for the Houston Rockets. Russell Westbrook became public enemy No. 1 in his own hometown.
Kessler hasn’t just shown he can handle the pressure that comes with this job. He somehow looks comfortable in it.
“He understands what this is and the pressures that come with it,” head coach JJ Redick said. “I think it was a good opening statement for him.”
It hasn’t always been that way for the North Carolina and Auburn product.
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By his own admission, there were times in his college career that Kessler let pressure get to him. Outside voices dictated his own thoughts and feelings. But as he’s gotten older, he’s focused more on being grateful for everything that comes his way.
“I’m a big believer in what an opportunity,” Kessler said. “God is so good in my life for me to be here. … It’s really hard to focus on the negativity when you actively do that, and so I’ve been the past couple years really focusing on that.”
Wednesday was just game one out of 82. Dončić kept it in perspective, saying he was impressed with his new running mate and how they played off each other. When Luka would drive, Kessler would step up. When he was doubled, Kessler he played in the pocket.
“I think our ceiling is even higher,” Dončić said. “But … he did an amazing job today.”
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He knows that even if Kessler makes catching lobs look easy, the reality is far from it. But keeping in mind that this was just their first game together, the future – and present – at Crypto.com Arena looks just as bright as the lights that so many before them have shrunken under.
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