Opening night was a massive success for the Los Angeles Lakers and the new look roster. Walker Kessler had a historically great debut game with 26 points on a flawless 12 of 12 shooting effort on the night. The Lakers trading two picks to land Kessler was among the most criticized moves of the entire NBA offseason. Even the strongest Lakers fans questioned whether an unproven center coming off an injury warranted losing picks and paying out a huge contract.
The following comments on Twitter tonight show the Lakers fans already loving Kessler and trusting him:
“Did the Lakers underpay for Walker Kessler?” – @hmfaigen
“There’s a chance Walker Kessler sets the all-time record for FG% this season” – @Carsobi
“”The Lakers traded A LOT to get Walker Kessler here. But this is why. They envisioned this version of Kessler with Luka: 26 points, 12/12 from the field, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks” – @ArashMarkazi
“Seems Walker Kessler might be good. How many points did the players the Jazz got back in trade score tonight?” – @TylerFromOnline
Hundreds of other comments showed the entire NBA world praising Kessler for such a dominant performance against the Golden State Warriors. Reports indicated that Luka Doncic vouched for Kessler this summer, and this game shows the vision. Lakers fans should be excited to see the Luka and Kessler dynamic all season.
Historic Marks Set By Walker Kessler
The incredible outing by Kessler saw him making various levels of Lakers and NBA history. Any NBA player shooting 100% from the field is tying the record for best shooting performance ever. Draymond Green and the Warriors had no answer for the big man all night.
Kessler tied another Lakers record set by the iconic Wilt Chamberlain:
“Walker Kessler is the first Laker to shoot 100% on 12 or more FGA since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969.”
Matching a feat in the most legendary NBA franchise and following someone who scored 100 points in a single game is a dream debut. The Lakers were questioned for trading so much to the Utah Jazz to pay someone who played just 5 games last season. Kessler is taking pride in silencing critics and getting Lakers fans behind him quickly.
Shaquille O’Neal Has Insane Walker Kessler Praise
While everyone is offering deserved praise to Kessler, Shaquille O’Neal took it to another level after the game. The legend used his Inside the NBA platform to rank Kessler over big men like Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama already.
“Walker Kessler is the best big man in the NBA,” O’Neal said in the ESPN post-game following the Lakers win. “You heard it here and I’m not playing.”
The praise is clearly over the top since Jokic and Joel Embiid have won four league MVPs at the center position in recent years. Other bigs like Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns also easily rank over Kessler.
However, it is a great sign for the Lakers that Shaq can even consider using hyperbole so strong thanks to a historic debut night. Kessler doesn’t even need to replicate this performance as the Lakers just want respectable offense and elite defense.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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