The Los Angeles Lakers have been lackluster out of the gates on defense. Walker Kessler knows it, and he is taking the responsibility over that amid the early struggles on that end. However, there is another department in which Kessler needs to step up. That would be the battle on the boards.
After the Lakers' competitive but ultimately disappointing 136-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Kessler acknowledged it was not just about the perimeter guys getting torched. The starting center in Los Angeles thought there was just as much weight on his shoulders.
"I pride myself on kind of being the leader on the defense, and I didn't perform tonight. But we'll figure it out."
Giving up 120.3 points per game to the opponent over the first four outings is not great, but neither is what the Lakers have done on the glass. Out of the gates, Los Angeles is only averaging 35.5 rebounds per game. Where does that rank in the NBA so far? Last in the entire league.
Walker Kessler needs to also lead the charge on Lakers fixing their rebounding
One of the biggest reasons why Kessler was such an appealing addition for the Lakers over the summer was how great of a rebounder he had been with the Utah Jazz. The former Jazz center averaged 13.2 rebounds per game when adjusting for the per-36 metrics.
That number is down with the Lakers thus far. Kessler is only averaging 9.1 rebounds per game in those same per-36 numbers. His regular counting stats have him at just 8.0 boards per game.
The defensive rebounding has stood out as concerning in particular. It is Luka Doncic (6.5) and not Kessler (5.8) who leads the effort on the glass when it comes to the back end. Luka has always been great at grabbing boards, but with Walker in town, you certainly want the latter to be first in that category.
Coaches will always tell you a defensive possession does not end until the rebound is secured. The Lakers are coming up short in that department right now, gifting those second-chance opportunities to their opponents. That problem stood out in particular against the Utah Jazz. Despite the 132-123 win, Los Angeles surrendered a whopping 20 offensive rebounds.
In all fairness to Kessler, the Lakers center did bring up the need for him to be more aggressive and to attack the ball when asked about losing the rebounding battle against the Blazers. He is not totally unaware of these issues.
It just feels like the conversation about defense is more amplified for the Lakers right now. The two problems here are intertwined. Los Angeles needs Kessler to help them win on the glass as much as they need him leading the effort to secure stops.
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