News Article
Published
Oct 24, 2026 at 01:56 PM EDT
Two games into his Lakers tenure, Walker Kessler has already won over the franchise’s biggest star.
Luka Doncic heaped praise on his 25-year-old center after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-117 on Oct. 23 at Crypto.com Arena. The win moved Los Angeles to 2-0, and Doncic said Kessler’s start hadn’t surprised him.
Doncic explained his view after the game.
“Unbelievable, honestly,” Doncic said. “We know what we’re getting, I’m not surprised by how he’s playing. He knows how to play this game, he played for a long time. I’m not surprised but the fact that he’s doing it, just proving a lot of people wrong is just unbelievable.”
Against the Clippers, Kessler piled up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 6 blocks over 35 minutes while hitting 10 of 14 shots, a 71.4% clip.
Never before had Kessler reached 20 points in consecutive games across five years in the league. Through two games, he’s averaging 24.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks on 84.6% shooting.
Tied at the break, the Lakers won the third 39-26 to open a 103-90 lead, with Austin Reaves scoring 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Kessler adding 2 blocks.
Lakers coach JJ Redick pointed to his center’s work in that stretch.
“It just felt like Walker was everywhere, in that third and really was a huge spark for us getting us a win,” Redick said.
Reaves paired 28 points with 9 assists, and Doncic posted 23 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. The trio’s 73 points fell four short of their 77 against the Golden State Warriors in the opener.
Ball security remains a problem. Los Angeles gave the ball away 21 times, 11 of them by Doncic, and Redick didn’t like how his team handled Clippers traps while nursing a lead in double figures.
“We know the turnovers is a problem,” Redick said. “We’ll continue to work at it, continue to get better at it.”
Eight blocks in two nights makes for a decent introduction. Kessler carries his first streak of 20-point games into the Lakers’ next outing, with Redick still chasing cleaner possessions.