Walker Kessler has quickly become the Lakers’ defensive anchor

LOS ANGELES — As Walker Kessler gazed up and down the box score at the podium in the middle of his postgame presser following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-117 win over the crosstown Clippers, something caught his attention and stopped him mid-answer.

“Oh geez,” he said, “we had a lot of steals, man. That’s crazy.”

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Kessler has been everything the Lakers hoped so far, including anchoring a defense that nabbed 13 steals on Friday, three of those from him. It’s been two games and Kessler has already made his statistical mark on the storied Los Angeles franchise.

In his debut against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, he became the first Laker since Wilt Chamberlain to shoot 12-for-12 from the field in a game, making it the second-best shooting performance in franchise history. Two days later, he became the eighth Laker to ever record six blocks and three steals in a game, according to Stathead.

Of course, in his rim-protecting nature, he deflected the opportunity to recognize himself among some of the best players to ever play for the Lakers… by turning the compliment on them.

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“I mean, it’s definitely an honor,” Kessler said of the stat. “It’s kind of crazy that there have been seven guys who have done it before. But, I know there’s some absolute legends in the Lakers franchise — definitely an honor.”

The presumed-lowly Clippers scored 64 points in the first half, matching the Lakers and holding onto the lead for much of it. There was potential for the game to get completely out of LAL’s hands if it weren’t for Kessler’s floor-raising defensive ability.

The Clippers were getting whatever they wanted in the non-Kessler minutes. Brook Lopez made eight of his first nine shots in the first half, feasting on the heavy-stepped Kevon Looney and undersized Sandro Mamukelashvili.

But out of the locker room, things changed, in part thanks to Kessler.

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“That third quarter, I don’t know what his stats ended up being, it just felt like Walker was everywhere in that third,” JJ Redick said postgame. “[He] really was a huge spark for us getting this win. … There were multiple times [in…

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Publish date : 2026-10-24 06:34:00

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