Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler suddenly began burying threes left and right during the 2025-26 season. Unfortunately, he also played just five games—and made a combined 11 treys through his first three seasons. That's beckoned the question: Is Kessler a genuinely good shooter or was it just a flash in the pan?
If the former proves true, then polarizing Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt could make his way back into the rotation as a pivotal piece of the defensive puzzle.
Kessler buried six threes in five appearances in 2025-26. That includes a 2-of-2 performance from beyond the arc during the Utah Jazz's season opener and a 3-of-4 performance during their fourth game of the year.
Unfortunately, just when it seemed as though he was tapping into a new level of his potential, injuries struck and he missed each of Utah's remaining 77 games.
It's thus created the greatest mystery on Kessler's proverbial player profile. He's never made more than six threes in a single season, which should render this as a non-factor. He increased his attempts from three as a rookie to 19 in 2023-24 and 34 in 2024-25, however, which suggests that his early success in 2025-26 was years in the making.
If Kessler's outside shooting is real, then the Lakers may just have a defensive death lineup with Vanderbilt at the 4 alongside him. If not, then Vanderbilt will have a tough time playing at all.
If Walker Kessler's jumper is real, Jarred Vanderbilt could play next to him
While Kessler's development is still a topic of conversation as he enters his fifth season, Vanderbilt appears to be who he is. The Lakers veteran is preparing for his ninth NBA season and has shot better than 30.0 percent from beyond the arc just once in eight years: 2022-23, when he buried 32.2 percent of his attempts.
With this in mind, achieving anything resembling optimal spacing has long relied on playing Vanderbilt next to a big who can shoot from distance.
That's a likely explanation for why an injury-plagued Lakers team still limited Vanderbilt's minutes in 2025-26. Vanderbilt played just 17.4 minutes per game, which amounted to 2,184 possessions. He spent just 729 of those possessions next to starting center and non-shooter Deandre Ayton.
If Kessler continues the trend of Lakers centers not offering much by way of spacing, then it's fair to assume Vanderbilt's minutes will remain the same—or even decline.
Los Angeles has brought in a new cast of players whom Vanderbilt will need to compete with for minutes. That includes sharpshooting big Sandro Mamukelashvili and defensive wings Cameron Carr, Matisse Thybulle, and Ziaire Williams—all of whom are better shooters than Vanderbilt. They're also developing Adou Thiero and haven't yet removed Dalton Knecht from the equation.
If Kessler can shoot with efficiency, then perhaps Vanderbilt could play meaningful minutes with the starters. If not, then he'll have a tough time beating out the competition.
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