The biggest addition to the Los Angeles Lakers is a big man.

Walker Kessler, the new starting center, is listed at 7-foot-2 and 245 pounds. At the 2022 NBA draft combine, Kessler was measured with a standing reach of 9 feet, 5 inches. His new teammates rave about his potential defensive impact.

“I played a lot of games against Walker, so it was always tough to play against him,” Luka Doncic said of Kessler late last month. “So I really wanted him. I think the organization wanted him. I wanted him. All the players wanted him. I think it’s an amazing fit for us.”

The Lakers got him in July from the Utah Jazz in exchange for two future first-round picks and two future first-round pick swaps.

Defense has not been a strong suit of the Lakers in recent years. Last season, they ranked 20th in defensive efficiency. The only other NBA playoff team with a worse defense was the Denver Nuggets, who were ranked 21st in defensive efficiency but who were first in offensive efficiency.

LA Hasn’t Had a Top 10 Defense Since 2021

The Lakers have ranked in the bottom half of the league defensively each of the last three seasons and have not had a top-10 defense since 2021, when they had the league’s No. 1 defense under coach Frank Vogel, who led them to the NBA championship the season before.

That was two head coaches and an entire roster ago. What’s the outlook for this season’s defense?

“I think we’re going to be a nasty defensive team,” Kessler said during training camp. “I’m just being honest.”

It is not hard to see why the Lakers are excited. Last season, the Lakers were above average in several defensive components. They ranked fifth in free-throw attempt rate allowed, 10th in 3-pointers allowed and 12th in defensive rebound percentage. When it came to takeaways, the Lakers ranked 13th in opponent turnover percentage and 14th in steals.

What did the Lakers in was their rim protection, as the team ranked 29th in restricted area field-goal percentage allowed. While center Deandre Ayton, who is now with the Washington Wizards, was not necessarily a poor rim protector when in position, he was not a consistent deterrent at the rim. The same could be said about the backup center last year, Jaxson Hayes, who is now with the Jazz.

And the Lakers had a gaggle of power forwards who offered no chance as rim protectors within the Lakers’ switch-heavy scheme. Doncic defended more shots at the rim per game than any Lakers player besides Ayton. After Doncic was Jake LaRavia, Austin Reaves and power forward Rui Hachimura (now with the Los Angeles Clippers), none of whom offered adequate secondary rim protection.

Lakers Want to Deploy Kessler Like Spurs Use ‘Wemby’

Kessler’s presence is only one part of the solution. Another is putting in a scheme that uses Kessler as an interior anchor. The inspiration for how coach JJ Redick wants to use Kessler comes from the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs, who deploy the reigning defensive player of the year, Victor Wembanyama.

“I think it changes how we scheme overall,” Redick said of Kessler’s addition. “Not to get into details, but you guys obviously watched the playoffs. You probably have a basic idea of how San Antonio used Wemby and kept him low and kept him by the basket.”

That’s a good theory for the Lakers to work with. Just keep the shot blocker at the rim as much as possible, right? But even Kessler knows that’s not nearly enough.

He is coming from a Jazz team that was the worst rim protection team in the NBA last season, but that was mostly without him. He played only five games before having a season-ending operation on the labrum in his left shoulder last November.

Even with Kessler playing fuller seasons, Utah ranked only 24th in rim protection in 2024-25 and dead last in defensive efficiency in 2023-24 and 2024-25, Kessler’s second and third seasons in the league.

Kessler is going to need help. And the Lakers need to scheme with the presence of Doncic and Reaves in mind as the team’s chief shot creators.

Doncic, Reaves Are Limited Defensively but Create Turnovers

Doncic has a strong nose for the ball in terms of steals and rebounds while showing last season that he can defend competitively at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, about the average size of a starting power forward.

Reaves is a player whom the Lakers will ideally hide by assigning him to cover one of the least threatening perimeter options, but he is a threat to force turnovers by drawing charges.

The other two Lakers starters around Kessler — Reaves and Doncic — will be critical defenders. Free-agent addition Quentin Grimes, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, is primed to assume the point-of-attack hound role that was vacated by point guard Marcus Smart’s exit to the Houston Rockets.

“He set the tone,” Grimes said of Smart’s impact. “You could tell last year he kind of was a little bit of the heart and soul of the team. He would set that tone for the intensity, coming in with the right attitude from what I’ve heard and everything. So he was one of their best players.

“Now it’s me kind of sliding in, obviously, in that role. I’d maybe have a little more offensive versatility than him, but you could tell what he did for the team last year kind of helped win a lot more games. And I’m trying to do that as well.”

Another free-agent addition, Ziaire Williams, the 10th pick in the 2021 draft, is projected to take the last starting spot as a self-described 6-foot-10 guard who can “guard wings, forwards, point guards on defense.” It certainly helps that Williams is up to 215 pounds, which is light for a power forward but adequate to be a primary wing defender.

“I mean, it’s all personnel-based,” said Williams, who would be the replacement at power forward for LeBron James, now with the 76ers. “There’s not really anything I’m not comfortable with. If it’s a smaller guy bringing the ball up, pick up 94. If it’s a bigger wing who likes to play off a live dribble and jab step, be more physical off the ball.”

The Lakers also added potential wing rotation options in two-time All-Defensive selection Matisse Thybulle and rookie Cameron Carr while retaining LaRavia, Adou Thiero and Jarred Vanderbilt. If nothing else, the Lakers will not lack for alternatives, and that excites Kessler.

“I think people aren’t taking into account how good our perimeter defense is going to be with some of these guys,” Kessler said. “I’m just being completely honest. I think that a lot of guys are very smart on the perimeter when they’re in position. They can play really good defense. And we’ve got guys that are ball hawks, just hound the ball.”

Redick wants his defense to be aggressive with the understanding that Kessler will be there. But even when Kessler is not there, the expectation is for the many perimeter defenders to disrupt offenses and wear down opponents.

Points Allowed in the Paint

A key number that Redick will look at is points in the paint allowed, an area in which the Lakers ranked 19th last season. If the point-of-attack defense is where Redick believes it can be, that metric should improve.

“If we’re containing the basketball at the point of attack, teams aren’t scoring in the paint, and they’re not getting to the paint,” Redick said. “It’s helpful to have a deterrent like Walker in there. Yeah, that certainly helps with that. But for this group, in terms of our sort of eye test, we’re looking for a group of guys to embrace picking the ball up full court. Eating away at the shot clock, being disruptive, taking the teams out of their offense, being physical.”

What the Lakers have also embraced is taking the ball away whenever possible. That showed up early in the preseason against the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors with double-digit steals in three of the Lakers’ five preseason games.

It is a long season ahead. Kessler will be challenged. The stars will be challenged. The new wings will be challenged. Redick will be challenged. Defense is not just about personnel or scheme. It’s about consistent care, competitiveness and chemistry as well. That will determine just how much better the Lakers can be on defense.

“I think some of the guys that we brought in that are new, like Matisse and Ziaire, they’ve done that throughout their career; that’s who they are,” Redick said when asked what makes him believe that his team will play hard for him. “Walker has been a really good defensive player. I think Adou knows if he’s going to play, he’s got to do that on the defensive end.

“We’ve been clear with everybody. When I called Q during free agency,” he said, speaking about Grimes, “that’s what we talked about, the defensive end. So the expectations are very open and out there.”
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Law Murray / The Athletic
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