Lakers' Walker Kessler: Dominates glass in Lakers debut
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Kessler logged 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 16 minutes during Tuesday's 101-89 preseason loss to the Warriors.
Kessler made an immediate impact in his Lakers debut after missing the first three exhibitions with a finger injury. Golden State grabbed just two offensive rebounds before halftime and 13 after it with Kessler on the bench, which shows exactly why the Lakers paid $130 million for him.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Will play Tuesday
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Kessler (finger) will play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Warriors, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Kessler jammed his finger during training camp but has been cleared to make his 2026 preseason debut Tuesday. The big man appeared in just five regular-season games with Utah in 2025-26 due to a shoulder injury and will look to bounce back in his first year with the Lakers.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Practices Sunday
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Kessler (finger) was a full participant in Sunday's practice, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
Kessler has yet to suit up in the preseason after jamming his finger during training camp, though the injury isn't viewed as a long-term concern. The big man can be considered questionable for Tuesday's exhibition against the Warriors until the Lakers provide an update on his status.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Making progress, might scrimmage Sunday
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Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Kessler participated in Saturday's practice but didn't do live work, though the center might return to scrimmaging Sunday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
If Kessler scrimmages Sunday and everything goes according to plan, the big man could make his Lakers debut Tuesday against Golden State. Kessler jammed his finger early in training camp and has missed three straight games, but by all accounts, it's not a long-term issue.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Ruled out Thursday
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Kessler (finger) won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Kings, Benjamin Royer of The Orange County Register reports.
Kessler will miss a third consecutive contest due to a finger injury, though head coach JJ Redick isn't concerned that it's a long-term issue, per Daniel Starkand of LakersNation.com. The big man's next opportunity to play in the preseason will come Tuesday against the Warriors.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Not playing vs. Warriors
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Kessler (finger) won't play in Tuesday's exhibition game against the Warriors, Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Kessler will miss a second consecutive preseason game after jamming his finger during training camp. The big man will aim to make his preseason debut Thursday at home against the Kings, but the Lakers will take a cautious approach to keep the injury from lingering into the regular season.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Healthy ahead of camp
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Kessler (shoulder) is fully healthy and has been cleared for the start of the season, according to Lakers president Rob Pelinka, Ryan Ward of SI.com reports.
Kessler underwent shoulder surgery back in November, but Pelinka said the big man is looking forward to playing in a lot of games this year. The 25-year-old appears on track to enter training camp without restrictions and should have a prominent role in Los Angeles' frontcourt with Luka Doncic setting him up with easy looks.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Positioned for key role at center
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Kessler was highlighted as a strong fit with Luka Doncic after the Lakers paid a steep price to acquire him, Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports reports.
The Lakers' depth at center behind Kessler appears to be razor-thin, including veteran Kevon Looney as his primary backup, so Los Angeles could lean heavily on Kessler during his debut season in Los Angeles. He's slotting in as a distant tertiary scoring option behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, though the prospect of being the top lob threat for the dynamic backcourt duo bodes well for his efficiency; Deandre Ayton shot a career-high 67.1 percent from the field in that role last season. Kessler also seemed to be adding a three-point shot to his arsenal before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery last year, averaging 1.2 threes to go with a career-high 3.0 assists per game in his five regular-season appearances for Utah, so he looks to have plenty of nine-category fantasy upside if he's able to shoot a reasonable percentage from the free-throw line.
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Lakers' Walker Kessler: Traded to LAL, signs extension
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The Jazz traded Kessler (shoulder) to the Lakers on Wednesday in exchange for two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps, Shams Charania of ESPN reports. Kessler will sign a four-year, $130 million deal with Los Angeles.
LeBron James is leaving Los Angeles, and the Lakers are building around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic expressed his desire to play with a top-tier center, and it appears he got his wish, though Deandre Ayton is still under contract after picking up his player option. Kessler missed most of the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing left shoulder surgery, but he's expected to be healthy to start his Los Angeles tenure.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Undergoing further testing
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Kessler (shoulder) did not travel with the team to Charlotte and is undergoing further testing.
Kessler was already set to miss his first game of the season Sunday and now appears at risk of missing the remainder of Utah's four-game road trip after staying behind to treat a left shoulder injury. Jusuf Nurkic is expected to start in his place Sunday and should handle the bulk of the center minutes for as long as the Auburn product is sidelined.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play Sunday
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Kessler has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Hornets due to shoulder bursitis, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler will miss the front end of Utah's back-to-back set due to the shoulder issue, and his next chance to suit up will come Monday against the Celtics. With the big man sidelined, Kyle Filipowski, Jusuf Nurkic and Taylor Hendricks are candidates for increased minutes.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Back on track in win
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Kessler closed Monday's 138-134 overtime victory over the Suns with 25 points (9-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 35 minutes.
Kessler bounced back after a subpar showing during Friday's loss to the Kings, recording his first double-double of the season Monday. He also blocked four shots for the second time this season. Kessler is averaging 16.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.7 blocks and 1.0 three-pointers per game through three games.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Cleared to return to action
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Kessler (shoulder) is available for Thursday's preseason finale against the Trail Blazers, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Thursday will be Kessler's preseason debut, a welcome sign after he missed each of Utah's first three exhibition tilts with a shoulder injury. The 2022 first-rounder could see a significant amount of playing time Thursday in what the Jazz could treat as a dress rehearsal for Opening Night.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play Monday
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Kessler (shoulder) has been ruled out for Monday's preseason game against the Mavericks, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler has yet to suit up during the preseason, and his final chance to do so will come Thursday in Portland. The big man was a full participant during Sunday's practice, so despite being sidelined again, Kessler should be ready for Opening Night.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Out for preseason opener
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Kessler (shoulder) is out for Wednesday's preseason game against the Rockets, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler is dealing with left shoulder bursitis, which will cause him to miss Utah's preseason opener. His next chance to play comes Friday in San Antonio. Jusuf Nurkic will be a candidate to fill in at center Wednesday, while the Jazz could also opt to take an extended look at two-way player Oscar Tshiebwe.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Dealing with shoulder soreness
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Kessler missed Saturday's practice due to left shoulder soreness, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler missed the last five games of the 2024-25 campaign due to a concussion, and he now finds himself dealing with a shoulder issue ahead of the preseason. Kessler and the Jazz have been unable to agree on an extension, which seemed to be a sore spot for Kessler during the team's media day. The disconnect could be due to cap-management reasons -- potentially delaying an extension until next summer -- but that remains to be seen. Kessler remains uncertain to play in Wednesday's preseason game against the Rockets.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Not playing Sunday
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Kessler (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Timberwolves.
Kessler entered concussion protocols April 3, and it will end up sidelining him for the Jazz's final five games of the regular season. Oscar Tshiebwe and Kyle Filipowski will serve as Utah's primary big men for Sunday's regular-season finale in Walker's absence. The third-year big man out of Auburn put up solid numbers for the Jazz this season. Still, injuries and reconditioning caused him to miss 17 of the Jazz's 33 games since Jan. 1. With Utah failing to qualify for the postseason, Kessler will finish the 2024-25 regular season averaging 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game across 58 outings.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play Wednesday
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Kessler (nose/concussion) is out for Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers.
A nasal fracture and concussion will keep Kessler from playing Wednesday. With two games left on the 2024-25 calendar for the rebuilding Jazz, it wouldn't be shocking if Kessler has made his final appearance this season. Kyle Filipowski has averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 28.7 minutes over his last nine outings as starter, and he should continue to fill in for Kessler at center against Portland.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Another absence coming
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Kessler (nose/concussion) is out for Sunday's game versus the Hawks.
Kessler will miss his second straight contest Sunday due to a nasal fracture and being in concussion protocol. Kessler's next chance to suit up is Wednesday's matchup with Portland.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play against Indiana
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Kessler is out for Friday's game versus the Pacers due to a nasal fracture and concussion protocol.
Kessler logged 28 minutes in his return to action Wednesday but will sit out Friday's contest due to being in concussion protocol and a nasal fracture. KJ Martin and Kyle Filipowski will likely receive increased playing time in his absence. Kessler's next chance to suit up is Sunday's matchup with Atlanta.
