{"id":802819,"date":"2026-08-04T22:02:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/802819\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T22:02:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:02:33","slug":"worrisome-walker-kessler-trait-is-something-lakers-must-buy-insurance-against","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/802819\/","title":{"rendered":"Worrisome Walker Kessler trait is something Lakers must buy insurance against"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers, as currently constructed, are walking on thin ice. If either of LA’s two centers gets injured and misses significant time in 2026-27, the Lakers’ defense and rebounding capacities will sink underwater and kill this team.<\/p>\n

Newcomers Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney are the two centers I’m referring to, of course. Kessler played five games last season; Looney, 21. That’s not exactly a confidence-injecting precedent heading into the upcoming campaign, especially given LA’s lack of a third center. The Athletic’s Dan Woike recently touched on this, noting that so much rests on Kessler’s shoulders (and, well, his durability).<\/p>\n

Lakers can’t afford any significant Walker Kessler injuries in 2026-27<\/p>\n

“Part of the reason so much hinges on Kessler is the way the Lakers and Luka Don\u010di\u0107 prioritized him,” Woike wrote<\/a>. “Another part is that the Lakers have only Kevon Looney as a backup. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jarred Vanderbilt are in pencil further down the Lakers\u2019 depth chart, but neither would be capable of playing center on a full-time basis should they need to.”<\/p>\n

No one’s denying that Kessler’s rebounding will transform the Lakers in winning ways<\/a>. But that’s an “on-paper” conclusion. When the season starts, the “on-paper” rosters are thrown into the trash, and we see what actually works in practice … and, more importantly, we see who can stay healthy and on the court.<\/p>\n

More and more, the breakneck pace of NBA basketball in the modern age results in a war of attrition by the time the playoffs roll around. It’s no longer about who has the most talented or best team in May, but who is the healthiest.<\/p>\n

Given Kessler’s size and recent injury history, the Lakers can’t feel totally comfortable that their frontcourt will be healthy enough when the games start to matter in the spring.<\/p>\n

You can probably see where I’m headed with this… <\/p>\n

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka needs to go out and get a third center before the season starts<\/p>\n

Nick Richards is the obvious free-agent target for the Lakers<\/a>, but it remains to be seen whether Pelinka will go the free-agent route or otherwise acquire a big man via trade. Pelinka still has Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht to use as trade chips, though neither player is exactly attracting a flurry of interest.<\/p>\n

Pelinka’s had a pretty good offseason, but his job’s not finished (Kobe voice). Go out and get another five.<\/p>\n

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