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COURTSIDETHE INDEPENDENT DATA DESKNBA-Lineups
THE COURTSIDE DATA DESK / 2026–27

Walker Kessler advances in practice but Lakers still won’t lock in his debut

A quick read on what changed — and what it means for the rotation.

Image from the source report · Yahoo Sports

What happened

Walker Kessler took part in the live-action portion of Sunday’s practice after being limited to non-live work on Saturday, but the Lakers and JJ Redick still would not say whether he will play Tuesday against Golden State.

He has missed Los Angeles’ first three preseason games after jamming his left pinky in camp, and he was still wearing a wrap on the finger while saying he feels good and wants to play.

LINEUP CONTEXT

Kessler’s return remains a game-time decision, so the Lakers still may need to plan their frontcourt rotation without him for Tuesday. The last preseason game is Friday, leaving only a short window if he stays out.

Automated brief based on the linked report. Lineup context is analysis; official starting-five labels come separately from our game data provider.

NBA-Lineups.com is an independent basketball resource. Game times, scores and starting lineups are updated automatically. News briefs link to their original reporting. Data may be delayed or incomplete.

Sources · Methodology

Courtside details