Walker Kessler took responsibility for the Los Angeles Lakers’ defensive struggles after their 136-129 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, saying the team cannot rely on its offense alone to win games.
“We have a very, very good offense and a lot of great scorers. But that’s not going to be the only thing that gets us to win a championship here,” Kessler said after the Lakers surrendered 136 points at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles fell to 3-1, suffering its first loss of the season despite Luka Doncic scoring 41 points and dishing out nine assists. Portland improved to 3-0 under new coach Micah Nori, with Ja Morant and Deni Avdija scoring 23 points apiece, Damian Lillard adding 21 and Jrue Holiday contributing 22.
Kessler pointed to the Lakers’ half-court defense as a major problem, citing breakdowns that allowed Portland to attack the basket and create open three-point opportunities.
“We did a pretty good job in transition. Did a pretty good job limiting their second-chance points. But in the half court, we didn’t do a great job,” Kessler said. “Guys were getting downhill, shooting those little floaters. We were breaking down, giving up corner threes.”
The Lakers center also accepted personal responsibility for his performance as a defensive leader.
“Coach and I had a conversation about me becoming the linebacker of the defense. So whenever the defense doesn’t perform well, it’s on me,” Kessler said. “It’s on our team, obviously, but I take responsibility for that.”
Kessler finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and four turnovers in 33 minutes. The Lakers lost the rebounding battle 38-31, although Kessler said he needed to be more aggressive in pursuing the ball.
“Personally, I got to do a better job of pursuing the ball and being more aggressive to attack the ball,” he said. “I started to get it back a little bit in the second half, but I got to start that way.”
Portland’s shot-making made the defensive assignment more difficult, Kessler acknowledged, but he also identified mistakes in the Lakers’ coverage. He said Los Angeles needed to recognize opponents’ preferred driving directions more effectively, improve its positioning on ball screens and fight through screens instead of allowing attackers to get downhill.
Kessler also addressed the challenge of defending while staying close to the basket, where he is most effective. Opponents can pull him away from the rim with perimeter shooting, forcing the Lakers to adjust their defensive approach.
“They know that that’s my strength is being close to the rim,” Kessler said. “But we got to adjust a lot quicker.”
The Lakers have little time to respond. They visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, while Portland hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
