The Los Angeles Lakers just told the rest of the league, “No Luka, no problem!” and it’s not just because of Austin Reaves’ effort.
The Detroit Pistons would have hoped they had a golden chance to halt the Los Angeles Lakers‘ winning season as Luka Doncic sat this one out.
In his absence, however, Austin Reaves put up 43 points to hammer home the strength in depth of this side, but just one player’s explosion was never going to be enough to beat the Pistons.
Head coach JJ Redick named the LA Lakers star who was crucial in ensuring that Reaves’ 43 points did not come in a losing effort.
JJ Redick hails Walker Kessler
After Reaves, the second-highest scorers for the Lakers were Ziaire Williams and Collin Sexton, both with 17 points each, but that’s not where the game was won.
The Lakers out-rebounded the Pistons on the defensive glass and scored 12 more points in the paint than their opponents.
The domination in both of those metrics owes a lot to Walker Kessler, who had a dominant “big man game” against the Pistons.
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In just 29 minutes, Kessler grabbed 16 rebounds, blocked three shots, scored 12 points, and most importantly, set the defensive tone by protecting the paint.
He was nimble on switches as he kept up with the Pistons’ guards on the perimeter, and his seven offensive rebounds allowed the Lakers to keep the pressure on for second-chance points.
Redick hailed Kessler’s impact after the game. He said [via Spectrum SportsNet]: “The last six or seven games, he’s just been relentless in keeping possessions alive for us. He was awesome protecting the rim. I love the consistency right now from him.
“He had a huge and-one in the fourth quarter, seven offensive rebounds. He’s been relentless.”
LA Lakers are championship contenders due to their depth
The output from Luka Doncic in the early stages of the season has been unbelievable even by his tall standards, but this win against the Pistons showed why the Lakers are genuine contenders.
They combine heatwave scoring with reliable role players, defensive engines, rim protectors, and versatile wings in a deep roster.
Doncic is the star dust and Reaves is taking a leap into stardom status, but it’s players like Walker Kessler who make the difference in crunch time.
At that stage, every team has a superstar, and they largely cancel each other out with elite displays, so the role players make the difference.
It’s a good omen for Redick that the Lakers didn’t skip a beat in Doncic’s absence, and if anything, emerge as a stronger overall roster as others stepped up immensely.
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