Walker Kessler, the Los Angeles Lakers' biggest offseason acquisition, hasn't played yet this preseason, as he missed their first three contests last week. He jammed his left pinky finger on the backboard during a practice in training camp, and he was held out of practice for days afterward out of an abundance of caution.
While he returned to practice on Sunday and said his hurt pinky felt good, it is unknown whether he will play on Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
Without him, the Lakers have had trouble on the boards to start their exhibition schedule. Coach JJ Redick talked about the challenge of getting enough rebounds without Kessler and his plan for handling that particular challenge, via Lakers Nation.
“I think it’s important to have two of the bigger wings out there for rebounding purposes,” Redick said after practice on Saturday. “That was a concern just coming into the year, trying to be a good defensive rebounding team. What does that look like with Walker not on the court? I think in film it’s pretty apparent we need to do a better job of boxing out, just simple stuff and gang rebounding. That hurt us the other night. We’ll figure that out, but I think the biggest thing is trying to keep with the same sort of limited playing time and getting guys reps and building them up. But having two bigger wings out there, Luka [Doncic], Adou [Thiero], Mamu (Sabdro Mamukelashvili), whoever that may be, as a wing with non-Walker lineups.”
Depth at the center position is a concern many have for Los Angeles. The team does have Kevon Looney, a veteran backup center who is a good rebounder and has won three NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors, as well as Mamukelashvili, a big man who can play both the 4 and 5 positions.
But neither may be able to play more than roughly 10-15 effective minutes at the center position. Some feel the team should've kept Deandre Ayton, last season's starter at the center spot, as a backup rather than trade him to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and two future second-round draft picks.
Kessler is an elite rebounder, as well as an outstanding shot-blocker and rim protector, which is why the Lakers gave up two future first-round picks and two pick swaps in a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz for him in July. Some feel he won't make a profound impact on a Lakers defense that ranked 20th in defensive rating last season, but others feel he will greatly help in that department by manning the paint and limiting opponents to one shot.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: JJ Redick on how Lakers can get enough rebounds without Walker Kessler