The Los Angeles Lakers placed all their cards on the table to land Walker Kessler this summer. Kessler was a winning signing, but there's no doubt that he arrived at a steep cost -- two unprotected future firsts, two first-round swaps, and a four-year, $130 million deal.
Kessler has all of the attributes that should make him an ideal center alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. At 7-foot-2, he protects the rim, finishes lobs, gets boards, and should be able to anchor a defense that will need to deal with plenty of guards slipping past Doncic and Reaves into the paint.
Notice that I'm using the word "should" a lot with Kessler. I'm doing so because, though his size and talent are undeniable, Kessler is somewhat of an unproven product.
Lakers don't fully know what they're getting with Walker Kessler
It's not just the recent injury history I'm talking about (Kessler only appeared in five games last season); it's the fact that Kessler has never played in a meaningful NBA game before. Suddenly, he's landed with the most visible NBA franchise on planet Earth at a time when they are expected to contend immediately.
Kessler's impressive offensive rebounding and shot-blocking numbers in the NBA shouldn't be discredited, but it's also worth noting that all of that production occurred in the regular season for a tanking basketball team. None of it took place in a playoff atmosphere, the type of environment within which Kessler will ultimately be judged while wearing a Lakers uniform.
ESPN analyst calls out Walker Kessler's non-existent playoff résumé
In wondering about the Lakers' offseason decisions, ESPN's Zach Kram recently touched on Kessler's inexperience.
"The Lakers now have one of the NBA's weakest forward groups, a glaring hole at backup center and almost no remaining draft assets to trade after giving up a haul for Kessler, who has never really played a meaningful NBA game," Kram wrote.
And what kind of insurance have the Lakers purchased in the event that Kessler's a flop? There's no disrespect aimed at Kevon Looney or Sandro Mamukelashvili when I say that the Lakers won't be successful if Kessler underwhelms in the postseason. Both Looney and Mamukelashvili were average signings at worst for the Lakers. But even if both Looney and Mamu have excellent years and excellent playoff performances, Kessler falling short of expectations would still derail the Lakers.
Some of the responsibility for Kessler's preparedness will lie with head coach JJ Redick. Unlike Kessler, Redick has been tested in the playoffs as both a player and a head coach. The hope is that Redick's system and the fact that the Lakers are a winning team will make Kessler even better than he was on the Jazz.
On the other hand, if things start trending in the opposite direction at any point, especially in the playoffs, you have to believe that pessimistic Lakers observers will be pointing fingers back to that massive draft haul that LA gave up for Kessler.
The Lakers took a gamble on Kessler, and this isn't to say that general manager Rob Pelinka was out of pocket for doing so. But for a team with its eye on a deep postseason run, it's still a bit worrisome that Kessler -- given his lack of experience -- is their starting center, and this'll continue to be worrisome until Kessler proves that he can deliver when it matters most.
If we get to the postseason and Kessler is either hurt or shrinks under the bright lights, the Lakers may have wasted another season of Doncic's prime. And then what? What sorts of draft assets would the Lakers have to package with Kessler for a better option? These are questions that have no good answers.
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