Overview
- On Tuesday, Walker Kessler told reporters the Lakers “are gonna be a nasty defensive team” after the first day of training camp and praised the roster’s perimeter effort.
- Coach JJ Redick set camp priorities that emphasize installing new defensive principles, building early offense and running a merit-based competition for starting and rotation spots.
- Los Angeles acquired Kessler in the offseason on a four-year, high-value contract and added wings such as Matisse Thybulle, Quentin Grimes and Ziaire Williams to bolster on-ball and wing defense.
- Skeptics point to tangible risks including Kessler’s recent shoulder surgery, persistent perimeter matchup questions involving Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, and the pressure created by the draft assets traded to land Kessler.
- The coming preseason and regular season will put the new identity to the test by measuring whether Kessler’s rim protection and the upgraded perimeter group can produce a clear, lasting defensive improvement.