The Post’s Khobi Price addresses the biggest Lakers questions.
Starting 5
Are Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler ready for heightened expectations?
The Lakers aren’t asking Reaves and Kessler to be players they already aren’t or do things on the court they haven’t before.
For Reaves, it’s to be the natural-born scorer he is. Be a high-level playmaker. Complement Luka Doncic when he’s on the floor and run the offense when he’s not on the court. Be a leader.
For Kessler, it’s to be a force on the interior on both ends of the floor. Set strong screens. Roll hard to the basket. Protect the paint and be one of the league’s best rim protectors.
Nothing new for either player.
But after the franchise invested long-term, nine-figure deals, the Lakers need both star players to be consistent — with performance and availability — in ways they haven’t before.
Regrets about offseason moves?
The Lakers didn’t need to make drastic changes to their roster to be a good team.
They already were that, coming off a 53-win season in 2025-26 in which they won their first playoff series in three years.
That was coming off their first 50-win season in a few years.
But instead of running back a roster that didn’t have room to grow for years to come, the Lakers opted to get younger with the hopes the core can grow into a special group.
Will they be proven right?
Will offense be good enough?
Conventional wisdom says that a team led by Doncic and Reaves is enough for the Lakers to be an elite offensive team for an entire season.
But that hasn’t been the case since the Lakers acquired the Slovenian guard in February 2025.
The Lakers have been a good offensive team since then. And borderline great.
But not truly elite for a sustained stretch.
Which are not only the expectations but also what must happen for the Lakers to reach their ceiling and contend in the Western Conference.
We got a glimpse of the Lakers being an elite offensive team in the first 20 games led by Doncic and Reaves to start 2025-26. Can that be replicated for an entire season?
Will the wing depth produce?
The Lakers have a lot of options who could get playing time on the wings: Grimes, Williams, LaRavia, Thiero, Thybulle and Carr.
They don’t need all of those players to hit.
But they’ll need at least a few of them to provide the 3-and-D skills that the Lakers are looking to surround Doncic and Reaves with.
There isn’t a clear answer for who will stand out among the group, which could be a concern.
A wing-by-committee approach may be needed.
What about the sale?
In the backdrop of the season is the pending sale of the franchise from Mark Walter to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.
While the sale isn’t expected to impact the on-court product for this season — or the decision-makers responsible for the on-court product — it’ll be a notable storyline to follow for the franchise’s future.
Especially when also factoring in the Buss family drama and Jeanie Buss’ governorship of the Lakers.
Buzzer Beaters
Newcomer to Watch: Walker Kessler. The Lakers invested a lot to acquire the 7-foot-2 center from the Jazz via sign-and-trade. A four-year, $130 million contract. Two unprotected first-round draft picks and two pick swaps. Kessler is the franchise’s undisputed marquee free-agency addition after superstar guard Doncic made it clear to the team he wanted Kessler as the rim-protecting, rim-running center he thrives alongside. He transforms their paint presence on both ends of the floor as a rebounder, rim deterrent and finisher. The 2022 first-round pick is coming off playing just five games because of season-ending shoulder surgery last season. He hasn’t been a part of a playoff team in his career. But for this version of the Lakers to work in the ways they hope, they need Kessler to not only live up to the hype but also exceed it.
Most Important Decision: Who starts alongside Doncic, Reaves and Kessler? Grimes and Williams? Grimes and LaRavia? Could Thybulle or Thiero step into the starting lineup? The tasks for the two other starters next to the Lakers’ Big 3 is simple: defend at a high level and play complementary offense. It’s easy to say but not always easy to do. Or judge. True championship-contending teams usually have elite first units that play the most minutes per game. Nailing this decision sooner than later will impact where the Lakers land in the Western Conference standings.
Good Days to Come: The Lakers are perceived to be in the Western Conference tier below the 2025 NBA champions, the Thunder, and the 2026 West champions, the Spurs. The same tier as the Timberwolves, Rockets and Nuggets. But if Doncic can perform at an MVP-level for 70 games (and potentially win MVP), if Reaves can play like an All-Star/borderline All-NBA guard for a full season and show he’s a true No. 2 option on a contending team, if Kessler lives up to the investment the franchise made to acquire him and the role-player additions are as impactful as expected, the Lakers have as good of a shot as any team in the West to compete against the Thunder and Spurs.
Bad Days Ahead: If not enough of the Lakers’ wings contribute in the ways the team hopes they can. The Lakers have a lot of options: Grimes, Williams, LaRavia, Thiero, Thybulle and Carr are among them. They don’t need all of those players to maximize their skills this season to be successful — though it would be helpful for depth. But they need at least four of those six players to live up to or outplay their contracts to contend in the West.
Don’t be surprised if …The Lakers have a slow start to the season. Under Redick, the team got off to a 10-4 start in 2024-25 and a 15-4 start in 2025-26. But those teams had time to formulate an on-court chemistry and a connection from the previous season that the current squad hasn’t been able to. Over half of the Lakers are newcomers, and the mainstays include second-year forward Thiero and veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who isn’t expected to have a significant role. And with the team being limited to how much its most consequential players were able to play together during preseason, there could be early growing pains.
Story That Won’t Go Away: Murmurs about the trade deadline and the additions the Lakers need to make to elevate themselves to the Western Conference’s top tier. For all of the changes the Lakers made during the offseason, the consensus around the league is that they weren’t enough to be true challengers to the Thunder or Spurs, or truly separate themselves from the other best teams in the conference. Will they address their need for another backup center behind Kessler? Will they regret not acquiring a more proven, starting-level wing/forward?
