Los Angeles Lakers center Walker Kessler praised Luka Doncic’s defensive impact after the guard recorded 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals in Sunday’s 131-125 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Kessler highlighted Doncic’s defensive awareness and positioning, saying his work on that end of the floor has an impact beyond the numbers.
“Luka doesn’t get enough credit for his defense,” Kessler said. “His positional defense is being in the right spot at the right time.”
Doncic also drew three charges, helping the Lakers force turnovers and disrupt Toronto’s offense. Kessler said seeing a player with Doncic’s offensive ability commit to defense encourages the rest of the team to raise its intensity.
“When a guy like him who’s obviously a savant on the offensive side, you know, be so good defensively, it gets the guys going,” Kessler said.
The center also discussed the Lakers’ late-game scare after Toronto cut a 26-point deficit to five in the fourth quarter. Kessler said players must treat every appearance on the court seriously, regardless of whether they enter during what appears to be garbage time.
“Every time you sub in, you got to treat it like it’s minutes to play the game,” he said.
Kessler added that the Lakers had played 44 strong minutes but needed to be more fundamental when closing out games. Toronto finished with 24 turnovers, while Los Angeles committed 24, an area Kessler said the team could improve despite responding better to the Raptors’ pressure than it had against Golden State on Friday.
Individually, Kessler recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the field. He said he was beginning to find his rhythm on the glass and was focusing on contributing through rebounding and defense rather than scoring.
“I’m not someone that needs to really score a lot to impact the game,” Kessler said.
He also credited the team’s collective approach, saying the Lakers are at their best when every player fulfills his role. Los Angeles improved to 5-2 with the victory and will host the Miami Heat on Monday night.
