Oct 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) passes in the second quarter against Denver Nuggets forward Trevon Brazile (7) at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images
Both Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers were adamant about getting an ideal center that would make sense to pair with the superstar guard and the team did that by trading for Walker Kessler this offseason. There is great belief that not only will he anchor the team’s defense, but will also thrive in the pick-and-roll with Doncic on offense.
The duo didn’t get as much time as they would have liked together during the preseason as Kessler dealt with a jammed finger early on, but the two were able to get some minutes together in the Lakers’ preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets. And Doncic feels things will only get better between them, the more reps they have together.
“For me I think you get the best out of it with reps,” Doncic said after Lakers practice on Monday. “The more reps you get, the more feel you get for the pick-and-roll. But it’s honestly conversation too, but I think the reps are most important.”
Doncic is someone who plays based on feel a lot and that can take some time getting used to. But as he said, the more he and Kessler get those game reps, the more comfortable each will feel about how the other operates. More reps also means getting used to the different coverages they will see, something Doncic noted was unable to occur against the Nuggets as they employed a singular strategy.
“Obviously it was a little bit different because they were blitzing the whole game,” Doncic added. “So I think it’s something new to him, but we’re working on that. I think he’s important in that area a lot. But obviously we didn’t play against drop yet.”
Between Doncic and Austin Reaves the Lakers are sure to see every type of pick-and-roll coverage and Kessler will have to get used to what is expected of him in these different instances. His ability to adapt and thrive will go a long way towards the Lakers offense operating at its highest level and pushing this team into contention status.
Walker Kessler had ‘a lot of fun’ playing with Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves
That preseason finale was the first time Doncic, Reaves and Kessler all suited up together and the results were positive overall. While there is still plenty of room to grow for the Lakers’ trio, Kessler said he had ‘a lot of fun’ sharing the court with his backcourt teammates for the first time.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.