Walker Kessler already has an answer for how often Luka Doncic can find him above the rim: several times in a single practice.
After the Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp Tuesday, Kessler estimated that he had connected with Doncic on about four lobs. Asked about the total, the center also offered an encouraging assessment of their partnership.
“Today? A couple. Like four probably. Yeah, we have a good connection. It’s pretty easy playing with him,” Kessler said.
How many Luka Dončić lobs for his new center Walker Kessler in his first official practice with the Lakers?
"Today? A couple. Like four probably. Yeah, we have a good connection. It's pretty easy playing with him."
More from Walker Kessler on Tuesday’s training camp opening: pic.twitter.com/dcCgbKmwYM
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) September 29, 2026
That was Kessler’s estimate, rather than an official practice statistic. But Doncic’s explanation of the pairing offered a clearer picture of why those opportunities are available.
Asked about Kessler’s impact Tuesday, Doncic pointed to the passing option he creates when a defender moves toward the ball. Doncic can send the ball over that defender for Kessler to finish.
I asked Luka Doncic how Lakers C Walker Kessler's 7-2 frame in the post opens up the floor:
"It definitely opens up a lot. I would say both ends of the floor. But especially on offense, it opens a lot. If somebody steps up a little bit, you just throw it up there, he's there."
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) September 29, 2026
The value extends beyond the player catching the pass. If the defender stays closer to Kessler to take away the lob, Doncic can have more room to attack.
Help from another defender can, in turn, create an opening elsewhere. The Lakers’ task is to make those decisions difficult consistently, rather than rely on the lob being available every possession.
Luka Doncic and Walker Kessler began building chemistry before camp
Tuesday was not their introduction to that connection. At Monday’s Media Day, Kessler said his first lob from Doncic came in Slovenia.
Walker Kessler says he caught his first lob from Luka Doncic in Slovenia: "I can get used to this." pic.twitter.com/mfC4JVujxe
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) September 28, 2026
“I can get used to this,” Kessler said.
Kessler shot 66.3 percent and averaged 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season.
Those numbers give the early optimism a foundation in his previous production. They do not establish what he will average with Doncic, but they show the Lakers are pairing their playmaker with a center who has already converted a high percentage of his opportunities.
The partnership is one part of a larger lineup experiment. Doncic said Tuesday that the Lakers changed the practice teams to test different starting combinations.
“We had a lot of fun, a lot of teaching points, and I think everybody felt like it was a great first day,” Doncic said.
Luka Doncic said the first day of camp was “great.” He said the Lakers mixed up teams to try out different starting lineups.
“We had a lot of fun, a lot of teaching points, and I think everybody felt like it was a great first day.” pic.twitter.com/NTyd1ihg78
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 29, 2026
With two starting jobs still open alongside Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler, those combinations matter. The other players’ shooting, cutting and positioning will help determine how much attention defenses can devote to the ball and the rim.
For now, Kessler’s account offers an early example of the connection the Lakers are trying to establish. Turning it into a dependable source of offense against opponents will be the more meaningful test.
