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Walker Kessler isn’t the biggest reason for the Lakers’ early-season defensive woes.
But he’s taking responsibility for his team’s struggles on the less glamorous end of the floor.
The Lakers’ defensive concerns caught up to them Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, leading to them falling to the Trail Blazers 136-129 for their first loss of the season after opening 2026-27 with three straight wins.
The Trail Blazers scored at least 32 points in each quarter, and shot 59% from the field, 50% on 3-pointers and took 41 free throws.
Their lone offensive blemish was only making 63.4% (26 of 41) of their free throws.
The Lakers’ struggles with containing their opponent weren’t limited to Tuesday.
The loss to the Trail Blazers was the third straight game the Lakers allowed their opponent to score at least 117 points.
They went from being ranked No. 19 in defensive rating to No. 22 – from below average to bad.
The team’s marquee offseason acquisition and defensive anchor took the blame for their subpar defensive start to the season.
“Coach and I had a conversation about me kind of [being] the linebacker of the defense,” Kessler said. “So whenever the defense doesn’t perform well, it’s on me. It’s on our team, obviously. But I take responsibility for that.”
The Lakers’ defensive issues don’t start with Kesser.
Their ball containment struggles were on display against the Trail Blazers, who drove and kicked their way into efficient offense throughout Tuesday.
The perimeter defensive concerns that Lakers detractors expressed during the preseason manifested in the loudest way against a Trail Blazers team equipped to match the Lakers’ firepower.
But Kessler hasn’t been as elite at protecting the rim as he has been in previous seasons.
Opponents are shooting 8.1% worse when the Lakers starting center is the closest defender within six feet of the rim – a strong number, but not elite like double digit percentages he posted his first few seasons in the league.
“We’re gonna figure it out,” Kessler said. “It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s not just those guys giving up 3s. I didn’t do a great job in a lot of instances either.
It’s not just that.”
