Walker Kessler followed 12-for-12 with six blocks, and is now a top-35 player on our board

Walker Kessler's second game for the Lakers was better for fantasy than his first. In a 125-117 win over the Clippers on Friday he scored 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting with eight rebounds, three steals and six blocks in 35 minutes, and the Associated Press noted that he became only the eighth Laker with six blocks and three steals in a game. Austin Reaves led Los Angeles with 28 points and nine assists, and Luka Dončić scored 23 on 8-for-21 with 11 turnovers, after which he said his game had been terrible.

After his 12-for-12 debut we wrote that the 30 minutes mattered more than the shooting, because they showed the Lakers treating him as their starting center. Friday's 35 minutes made the same point more strongly, and this time the box score added the defensive numbers that make a center valuable in categories.

Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.