There was always going to be a solid floor for the type of easy offense that Walker Kessler could get with the Los Angeles Lakers. Setting screens for Luka Doncic and attacking the basket would allow him plenty of giftwrapped points off lobs and otherwise. His role could grow beyond just that, though.
Kessler sat down with reporters for the first time since his arrival in Los Angeles on Monday. There were plenty of questions for him during that initial meeting. One of his responses offered key insight into how the Lakers could be preparing to deploy the newly-acquired starting center. Positioning the former first-round pick for 3-point opportunities is expected be on the menu.
"Coach JJ [Redick] is obviously hyper-intelligent, and obviously being a shooter himself, we've talked about it and he wants me to be able to do that. ... For a big, to be able to stretch the floor like that, or even have the threat of it, I think it makes other teams scout really difficult."
Continuing to develop that new offensive weapon for Kessler's arsenal could make the duo of him and Doncic so much harder to guard than it already will be. Adding that extra wrinkle to the Lakers offense should kelp make Walker even more valuable in Los Angeles.
Walker Kessler's 3-point shot will have an opportunity to shine in Los Angeles
One of the knocks around paying Kessler the big contract that he got was the idea of handing such large money to a guy who was limited offensively. That critique was always a little silly, given his main value for the Lakers comes from defense and controlling the glass, but now the team will get an even bigger chance to put that narrative to bed quickly.
Doncic can make just about any big man look better than they are on offense. Luka commands so much attention, especially in the pick and roll, that centers playing off him can often sleepwalk their way to open buckets.
The opportunity for Kessler to do that rolling to the basket was always going to be there. Adding the extra shooting dimension should only increase the kind of offensive output that can be had in Los Angeles.
It was a tiny five-game sample size in 2025-26, but Kessler was taking 1.6 3-point attempts per game before the injury shut him down for the remainder of the season. The former Utah Jazz center was bagging 1.2 of those a night, shooting 75.0 percent from deep.
Is that exact figure sustainable? Absolutely not.
However, with how open players get around Doncic, Kessler will have his moments to let it fly from deep. If the Lakers center can connect at a respectable clip, the price of his deal will only become that much more worthwhile to have on the books.
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