Walker Kessler wasted no time making his presence felt for the Los Angeles Lakers, delivering an impressive performance in his long-awaited preseason debut against the Golden State Warriors.
Despite the Lakers falling 101-89 on Tuesday, Kessler finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, one block and one steal on 4-of-6 shooting in just 16 minutes.
It marked his first NBA appearance in 347 days after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder last November.
“I mean, it was a lot of fun being out there again,” Kessler said. “It’s been so long. Before the game I was actually pretty nervous, to be honest. But getting out there and just playing with the guys, it was a blast.”
The Lakers acquired Kessler from Utah in an offseason sign-and-trade, committing two unprotected first-round picks, two pick swaps and a four-year, $130 million contract.
His debut was initially delayed by a pinkie injury suffered during training camp, but his impact was immediately noticeable.
Los Angeles outscored Golden State by 15 points with Kessler on the floor, before being outscored by 27 during his absence.
“I think he’s a great fit for our team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Thought he did a nice job of running the floor, crashing, had some terrific rebounds in traffic, protected the rim. Just really, really good first half from him.”
Redick also revealed the message he’s been emphasizing to his new center.
“The word I’ve used with him, the challenge, is just being relentless,” Redick said. “Just in terms of the motor on both ends. Running the floor, diving, screening, crashing the glass.”
Kessler echoed that message when discussing his expectations for the season.
“JJ and I talked, and that’s kind of what we came up with this year: ‘relentless,'” Kessler said. “And for me, that means just crashing every time, trying to be a presence in the paint, inside, outside, play hard, don’t take plays off, on the offensive end and defensive end. So that’s going to be my goal for this year.”
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