Walker Kessler Promises a 'Nasty' Defense, and Camp Believes…

By the Lakers Nightly Desk · Wednesday, September 30

Training camp opened this week under a banner the Lakers keep repeating: earn it or lose it. Walker Kessler set the tone, promising a defense with teeth, while Austin Reaves and Quentin Grimes each chase a different kind of proof.

Walker Kessler of the Lakers — Walker Kessler. Photo: Gamecock Central, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Defense With Teeth

Kessler told ESPN's Ben Golliver the defense could be nasty enough to carry title hopes, and Lakers Nation reported he felt fired up walking out of Redick's speech before the first practice. He called himself 110 percent healthy, a marker worth watching after a season cut to five games: 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 75.0 percent shooting from three in that sample.

Earn It Every Day

The Los Angeles Times framed camp under Redick's own words: this is a meritocracy. He laid out three goals for the group, per Lakers Nation, and Grimes is treating the starting five as open, chasing a spot rather than assuming one. Reaves, per the Times and Silver Screen and Roll, is working on his body after years of sharing the floor with LeBron James, with durability the question hanging over his new contract.

The Calendar and the Ledger

Preseason opens October 5 at Sacramento, with the regular season opener set for October 21 against the Warriors on ESPN. The books already sit at $204.0 million, past the $200.4 million tax threshold. Tuesday's camp cuts trimmed two names: Chase Ross exited the roster, and so did Meechie Johnson, both let go from Exhibit 10 deals.

When do the Lakers play their first preseason game?

October 5, on the road against the Kings.

Is Doncic ready for camp?

Yes, he arrived at camp healthy, with no restrictions announced.

By the Lakers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.