The Lakers paid a high price to acquire Walker Kessler from Utah, but they’re confident that he’ll be able to justify the cost of the deal, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. In a wrap-up of his conversations with executives and coaches at the Las Vegas Summer League, Smith shares comments from a member of the Lakers’ front office about how the addition of Kessler will affect all aspects of the game.
“We knew we needed a defensive anchor,” the executive said. *“Walker can protect the rim and rebound. Those two things not only help our defense, but it can help trigger our offense too. Last year, we had to gang rebound a lot. This year, Walker should help get the ball and get us out and running. On offense, he’s better than people realize. He’s got excellent touch in the paint and around the rim. The jumper is coming too. He’ll be excellent in the screen game for Luka (Doncic), Austin (Reaves), Collin (Sexton) and Quentin (Grimes).”*
The Lakers are hoping that Kessler will redefine their style of play after they went through last season with Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes as their main options at center. Ayton has since been traded to Washington, and Hayes signed with Utah in free agency.
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L.A.’s flurry of moves earlier this month included adding a pair of veteran guards in Sexton and Grimes who should provide reliable scoring off the bench. They were targeted to help change the pace of games as well, Smith adds. “We needed more backcourt and wing depth. Of all the great things about Luka, one of the best is his versatility. He can play 1-4. That means you can play all kinds of guys with him,” a Lakers assistant coach said. “Collin will help us speed things up a bit. He’s pretty good at getting the ball and going. Quentin gives us another offensive weapon both on- and off-ball, and he’s a better defender than he gets credit for. Collin can also heat up the ball in the backcourt with pressure too.”
The Lakers traded up one spot to draft Cameron Carr, who showed promise during Summer League, especially in the California Classic. Smith points to his ability to create his own shot and states that he might have been the best defensive wing on the team before the additions of Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams. “Super excited to have Cam. He’ll have to win his minutes, because his group is really deep. But he’s a worker, so that’ll give him a chance to play right away,” a team executive said. “Cam did a lot off the bounce at Summer League, so that was fun to see. But early on, we’ll keep it easy for him: make your open jumpers and defend.”
Many league observers were shocked when LeBron James announced that he wouldn’t be re-signing with the Lakers, but the team had been preparing that decision, the executive tells Smith. “We had a feeling it was coming, and when LeBron chose to go elsewhere, that locked it in,” he said. “The good news is that we knew we’d have Luka and Austin and that made the pitches to the guys we added really, really easy to make.”