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Walker Kessler says injury has made him hungrier to win every game this season

Los Angeles Lakers forward Walker Kessler returned to action this preseason with a renewed intensity after a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of last season. Kessler, who had averaged 65 games per year over his first three NBA campaigns, played just five contests in 2025-26 due to a torn labrum, but his return has brought a sharper focus on competing for wins—a mindset he described as a driving force this year.

The 2022 first-round pick, who spent his first three seasons with the Utah Jazz, now joins a Lakers roster built around immediate contention, featuring stars like Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. His first real test comes Friday in the preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets, followed by the team’s regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors on October 16 at 7 p.m.

PT. Kessler’s shift from a development-focused Jazz team to a win-now Lakers squad could provide both a motivational and on-court boost as he seeks to reclaim his role in the rotation.

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