Walker Kessler delivers what is called a big opening night in his Lakers debut

LOS ANGELES – “Great crowd.”

Walker Kessler pressed just loud enough for the press to hear him as the 7’2 big man slumped into his seat at the podium after the Los Angeles Lakers’ season-opening 127-105 drubbing by the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, October 21st.

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The ease with which he answered questions – in one, he said, “Contrary to my name, I run a lot” – reflected how effortlessly he looked on the floor, always seeming to be in the right place and at the right time to receive a lob from Luka Dončić or Austin Reaves.

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At one point early in the third quarter, Kessler was running after the game as Dončić was melting into the low post. Draymond Green stepped out toward Dončić, freeing Kessler in the paint with no one near him.

“Luke!” he cried.

The next thing Acipenser knew, the ball was in his chest.

Dončić took it behind his back past Green and Kessler right away and before the Warriors check what happened, Kessler was already down from the rim.

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“It’s just a bad pain,” Kessler said of Dončić. “His basketball IQ is insane, and I think he recognized that I was running alone. … He found me alone.”

And it wasn’t Luka Magica. Kessler finished the night a perfect 12 of 12 from the floor for 26 points, his shot chart clearly restricted in the area. Ten of them were eleven; most notably in a Laker game with Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.

O’Neal gave Kessler his flowers in the postgame air.

“For so long, the Jets have been dominated by historical greats,” he explained on Inside the NBA. “Factory Actor is the best big man in the NBA.”

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A glowing review from the Laker Royals, and that’s not lightly.

The spotlight, which is covered in purple and gold, especially for its appearance – can be blinding. The weight of following in the legacy of Shaq, Kareem, Wilt and George Mikan has overwhelmed other superstars before. Dwight Howard disgraced Kobe Bryant in 2013 for the Houston Rockets. Russell Westbrook has become public enemy No. 1 in his country.

Acipense has not just shown that he can handle the pressure when needed. He looks somehow comforter in him.

“He understands what this is and the pressures that come with it,” head coach JJ Redick said. “I think it’s a good opening for him.”

The North Carolina and Auburn product wasn’t always there.

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By his own admission, there were times in his career that Kessler approached him. Outside the voices he dictated his thoughts and feelings. But when he is older, he is more grateful for everything that happens to him.

“I’m a big believer in that opportunity,” Acipenser said. “God is so good in my life to be here for me. … It’s really hard to focus on negativity when you’re actively doing it, and so I’ve been really focused in the past two years.”

Wednesday’s game was just out of 82. Dončić kept it in perspective, saying he was impressed with his new pairing and how they played off each other. When Luka was forced, Kessler would rush. When she was twined, Acipenser was playing in her lap.

“I think our ceiling is higher,” Dončić said. “But … he did an amazing job today.”

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He knows that even if Acipenser makes catching the lobs easy, the situation is far from it. But considering this is the first game together, the future – and the present – ​​in the Crypto.com Arena looks as bright as the lights that have put so many before it.

This article first appeared in USA TODAY: Walker Kessler delivers what is called a big opening night in his Lakers debut

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