The 2026 offseason was a big shift for the Los Angeles Lakers because they had many departures, headlined by LeBron James ending his eight-year tenure. However, they also made some big additions to the team.

Among those additions, the biggest one has to be Walker Kessler. That is both a literal and figurative big addition because he has been fantastic for the Lakers as their new starting center who fits right into JJ Redick's system.

Walker Kessler gets rave reviews from Lakers coach JJ Redick

At over seven feet tall, Kessler is a huge presence for the Lakers. He has always been a reliable rim protector, but he has upped his offensive game as of late. With Luka Doncic serving as his primary playmaker, he will have a lot of easy looks throughout his time with the Lakers.

That has been evident in the first two games of his Lakers career because he is averaging 24 points on 84.6% from the field. He is also making his mark on the defensive end, as he is averaging 1.5 steals and four blocks across the two games.

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This has led Redick to be quite complimentary about his new center. Redick already knew what Kessler was capable of during his Utah Jazz days, but getting him on the Lakers has led to a huge boost for the 25-year-old center.

"He's a fantastic basketball player, and I think he'll continue to get better. That was one of the reasons that we wanted him and he was so appealing to us it was because of his age. And feeling like the fit with our two stars was really good," Redick said about Kessler after the Lakers' second game.

With Doncic, Kessler, and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have a trio they will rely on to produce. As they have shown some brilliant performances so far, they can be one of the biggest threats in the Western Conference.

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