Overview
- Walker Kessler told reporters Tuesday after Day 1 of training camp that he expects the Lakers to be a “nasty defensive team” and credited new perimeter pieces for hounding the ball.
- Coach JJ Redick said the first practice focused on defense and physicality, with players showing disciplined disruption rather than gambling in drills.
- The Lakers retooled their roster this offseason by trading for Kessler and signing wings such as Matisse Thybulle, Quentin Grimes and Ziaire Williams to try to shore up a unit that ranked 20th in defensive rating last season.
- Kessler is a proven rim protector who averages about 2.4 blocks per game but missed most of last season with shoulder surgery, and scouts remain skeptical that Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves can reliably cover opposing primary scorers on the perimeter.
- The franchise has surrendered future draft flexibility to acquire Kessler, so the key things to watch are his health, how perimeter defenders handle elite scorers and whether training-camp intensity translates into consistent regular-season defense.