The Lakers sit at 0-0, weeks from a game that counts, and a hoopsrumors report dated September 22 grouped the starting five with the men steering the franchise: Kushner, Iger, Walter, Cerda. No detail followed the pairing, but the calendar did not wait.
Notes Without Specifics
Hoopsrumors ran a Lakers item on September 22 under one headline: Starting Five, Kushner, Iger, Walter, Cerda. The report offered no names for the five itself and no detail on what the ownership figures were doing, leaving the pairing as the only signal so far.
Camp on the Calendar
Preseason opens at the Kings on October 5, at the Warriors on October 6, home against the Kings on October 8 on ESPN2, and against the Warriors again on October 13. The regular season opens October 21 against the Warriors on ESPN, the game that finally moves the record off 0-0.
A Number for Kessler
Lakers Nation reported that ESPN's preseason player rankings placed Walker Kessler at No. 73 league-wide, a marker for a center who played just five games last season, averaging 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds in that stretch. Camp is his chance to turn five games into eighty-two.
When do the Lakers play their first preseason game this year?
October 5, 2026, on the road against the Kings.
What ESPN ranking did Walker Kessler receive entering the season?
Lakers Nation reported that ESPN's preseason rankings placed Kessler at No. 73 overall.
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By the numbers · Tue, Sep 22The Two Averages Carrying a Payroll Over the Top
Rumor check · Tue, Sep 22The Exhibit 10 Reports, and the Cap Sheet That Barely Notices
Morning · Tue, Sep 22No One Replicates Doncic, and the Bench LeBron Left Behind
Around the beat · Mon, Sep 21Iger and Kushner's Billion-Dollar Bet, and the Ayton Trade Nobody Saw Coming
Player focus · Mon, Sep 21Quentin Grimes and the Job Nobody Notices
Morning · Mon, Sep 21Walker Kessler's Five Games and the Weight of a Healthy Season