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How does Walker Kessler expect for his Lakers debut to feel when he steps on the floor Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena?
“Couldn’t tell you – I haven’t played yet,” he responded while laughing after Tuesday’s practice, the final tune-up session before the team’s regular season opener against the Warriors.
But even without being on the court yet, the Lakers’ marquee offseason acquisition knew there would be pregame jitters.
Wednesday will be Kessler’s first regular season game since Oct. 31, 2025 with the Jazz, with the 7-foot-2 center having season-ending shoulder surgery in November that sidelined him for the remainder of 2025-26.
“I’m just so excited to get back out there,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played in a real NBA game.”
And when factoring in Kessler played just five games before having shoulder surgery, and the fact that he played in just one of Utah’s final eight games to close out the 2024-25 season, it’s been a while since he’s played basketball consistently.
He’s played in just six regular season games since March 28, 2025.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Kessler said. “There’s going to be a lot of nerves going into the game. But as soon as the whistle blows and you tip the ball, I think the rest of it will take care of itself. Obviously getting back in the rhythm is going to be big for me. But it comes to the reps, and I’m just moving forward with the opportunity and just to play again.”
The Lakers have high expectations for Kessler as a complementary player to star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
It’s why they inked him to a four-year, $130 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade with the Jazz, with Utah also receiving unprotected first-round draft picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030 from the Lakers as part of the trade.
They’re also taking a long-term approach to the 25-year-old big man to develop into the player they envision.
“With him, coaches, players, all that stuff, it’s like let’s take a big picture view of all of this stuff,” coach JJ Redick said. “We’ve got to take a big picture approach with certain things. The same way that we got to take a big picture approach with Cam [Carr] and his development – same thing with Walker.
“He’s never played with a player like Luka before, right? He’s never really been tasked with being the anchor of a defense. These are things that we think he can be [at] All-Star level, and it’s going to take time. This is going to be a process with him.”