Evaluating Walker Kessler: a big-time big man with big-time versatility

Kessler committed to the Tar Heels on Sunday night

Another recruiting class, another elite big man for North Carolina, as 2020 center Walker Kessler committed to the Tar Heels on Sunday, telling Evan Daniels of 247Sports that he made the decision while walking down Franklin Street with Walker Miller.

The 7-0, 245-pound Kessler was believed to be headed to Duke, and was also recruited heavily by Auburn, Michigan, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

Evaluating and projecting any player is tough, but it's especially difficult to get a handle on big men who are literally head-and-shoulders above the competition, simply physically overpowering defenders for buckets in the paint.

That's not the case with Kessler, whose skills are a perfect fit for the game's current era of pace and space.

Mobility

The backbone of Kessler's game is a major factor in nearly everything he does on the floor, whether its his ability to run the floor for easy layups, footwork in the paint, creating his own shots on the perimeter or moving his feet as a defender.

There are a lot of buckets to be had in Carolina's uptempo system for big men that get up and down the floor quickly. Somebody is going to score them, and Kessler would be more than happy to be the guy.

This is just absurd for a 7-footer in high school, and while it doesn't necessarily translate to doing this against ACC defenders, it does show that Kessler has an uncommon ability to change direction, good handles and the agility to do things that other players at his size could only dream of at this stage of their development.

Another excellent play. Goes up to get the ball in a tough spot, has the coordination to come down inbounds and the footwork to get himself in position for an easy bucket.

Shooting

Roy Williams would prefer to stick with a traditional two-big lineup, but after seeing the benefits of the floor spacing offered by Luke Maye and to an extent, Cam Johnson when he played the power forward slot, the Tar Heels have proven they can succeed with a "small" lineup.

What if Carolina could get the same shooting and floor spacing with a big man?

Enter, Kessler.

Kessler is comfortable spotting up or with the ball in his hands creating his own shot with a good-looking stroke. Often, when big men step outside, their shooting stroke can look labored and rigid. That's not the case here, as Kessler is clearly confident letting it fly.

Keep in mind, he's far from a finished product.

At Carolina and against ACC opponents, defenders won't be giving him nearly as much room to get his shot off cleanly. He'll get coached up on speeding up his release and keeping the ball high through his motion, but overall, he's got the foundation for shooting to be an excellent piece of his game.

Great stuff here in an Adidas Gauntlet game, where the competition is a bit tougher. Gets square, textbook stroke and high release point.

Old-school post moves

Kessler doesn't shoot like a 7-footer and he definitely doesn't move like one, but when he catches the ball deep with his back to the basket, he goes to work like one.

The ability to truly post up is a bit of a lost art in this era, but he'll have more opportunities to put this skill on display at Carolina than perhaps anywhere else, showing a polished array of moves going either left or right.

Here's an impressive sequence with Kessler tracking down a rebound, moving his feet and finishing in traffic. This one came in an Adidas Gauntlet game, against elevated competition.

Areas to grow

You don't love to see a 7-footer duck for cover with a guard looking to put them on a poster, but of course, this is a meaningless AAU game. Anything like this would quickly be coached out of anyone at the ACC level, and if not, they won't be playing much.

The only repeated concern that popped up in Kessler's highlights were a tendency to bring the ball down, negating his size advantage and allowing smaller defenders to take swipes.

At 245 pounds, Kessler will need to add significant muscle and weight to battle some of the league's best big men.

Final evaluation

Kessler's game is a perfect complement to that of fellow 2020 commit Day'Ron Sharpe, whose skills and strength will set him up as a bully in the paint.

It's hard not to look at Kessler's game and see a slightly bigger Maye who might ultimately end up being a better shooter and overall scorer. Whether Carolina is looking to run or, well, run slightly less, he'll have a place on the floor thanks to his versatility.

If he develops the same tenacity as a rebounder as Maye and a passion to defend like Garrison Brooks, he might never leave the floor. Exactly when he earns a major role will be decided when Kessler understands what he can and can't do at the ACC level.