Walker Kessler Impresses in Debut, Austin Reaves Scores 28 in 25 Minutes in Lakers Preseason Loss

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers · Oct 14, 2026 · 31m

Lakers fans have been waiting a while to see Walker Kessler in purple and gold following the massive offseason sign and trade that brought the giant center to LA. Tuesday in Vegas against the Golden State Warriors, they finally got their chance.

And it's fair to say that the first impression was a very good one.

Kessler had 11 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block in 16 minutes. He was a team-leading +15. Basically, he looked exactly like you'd hope. Rebounded effectively, was an obvious impediment to the Warriors around the rim, and showed opportunistic scoring off the pick and roll and…