Walker Kessler is back in full practice, and the Lakers are treating that update as more than a simple injury checkpoint.
After missing the first three preseason games with a finger injury, Kessler is now pushing to make his preseason debut, while the Lakers are also working through what their lineups look like if he is not available. That leaves the final stretch of exhibition play with a clear split focus: get Kessler back on the floor, but also keep building a rotation that can function without him.
Kessler’s injury came when he jammed his right pinky finger on the backboard during a block attempt in practice. The injury is not serious, but it has still kept him out of preseason action and limited him in practice. With only two exhibition games left — Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors and Friday against the Denver Nuggets — there is not much time left for the Lakers to see him in game action before the regular season begins.
Head coach JJ Redick said the hope is to have the full roster available for one of those final two games. That would give the Lakers at least one more chance to evaluate Kessler in a live setting before the preseason ends.
At the same time, Redick has already laid out what the Lakers need to do when Kessler is not on the floor.
Without him, the Lakers have lacked center depth, with Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili getting a majority of those minutes. Redick said the team needs to do a better job of boxing out and gang rebounding in those lineups, and he also pointed to the importance of having two bigger wings out there for rebounding purposes.
That is where the preseason has already started to reveal a second layer to Kessler’s absence. The Lakers are not just waiting on a return date; they are also testing how the frontcourt holds together when the center rotation is thinner than expected. Looney and Mamukelashvili have carried most of those minutes, while Adou Thiero and Mamukelashvili have been among the preseason standouts Redick has highlighted.
The result is a roster picture that is still in motion. Kessler’s availability affects whether the Lakers can simply plug him back in, or whether they need to keep leaning on the bigger-wing looks and rebounding adjustments they have already discussed.
Kessler said he is eager to get back on the court as soon as possible: “I think it would be a little different if I played last season, but because I didn’t play last season, I’m like, ‘Ah, I want to play really bad.'”
For the Lakers, that eagerness matters because the calendar is almost out of runway. They are waiting on positive injury news on both Kessler and Collin Sexton, and the final two preseason games may be the last chance to see how the roster fits before the games start to count.