How Walker Kessler Established Himself Within the Utah Jazz Core

In his third season, Walker Kessler has established himself as one of the better centers in the NBA and has put himself in a position for a major raise either this upcoming off-season or the next.

His development has been a major win for the Utah Jazz as they embark on their rebuild and strive for heights that haven’t been accomplished in the franchise's history.

Let’s talk about what makes Kessler so valuable.

Defense

Kessler, whose 2.3 blocks per game ranks second in the NBA, provides a ton of value for the Jazz on the defensive end of the court.

He ranks second in the league in defensive field goals attempted per game, meaning that he’s contesting lots of shots, most of which are at the rim. He’s holding players below their average by 5.2%, a number that ranks in the top ten of players contesting at least 10 shots per game.

We saw it for years when the Jazz were building their defensive scheme around Rudy Gobert. While Kessler is not where the four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner was, he’s a good defensive player who is well on his way to earning recognition for his defensive abilities during his career.

Efficiency

Kessler is one of the most efficient players in the NBA, converting on lobs, drop-offs, and pocket passes from his teammates. His true shooting percentage of 71.6% is tied for third in the league for qualified players. He ranks first in the NBA in field goal percentage at 72.9%!

While big men who rarely shoot outside of the paint are more efficient, it’s been nice to see Kessler’s development around the basket. One of the biggest areas he’s made a jump is as a lob catcher and finisher. His 113 dunks this year rank seventh overall in the league.

Walker Kessler's a vertical spacing monster pic.twitter.com/hOxAIHzMQr
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) January 4, 2025

Extra Possessions

The area of Kessler’s game that has been the most impressive this season is his offensive rebounding. The 23-year-old leads the league in possessions gained from offensive rebounds and points off those putbacks.

Unsurprisingly, Kessler averages a league-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds per game. Standing 7’1 tall with a 9’5 standing reach, Kessler combines elite size, timing, and athleticism to punish teams on the glass.

The strength that he’s added over the past summer, while not sacrificing his mobility, has been a major factor in Kessler turning into the best offensive rebounder in the league.

Tonight Walker Kessler joined Nikola Jokić as the only players in NBA history to record 25+ PTS, 10+ REB, 5+ AST and 0 TO while shooting 100% from the field. 👏 pic.twitter.com/zAETlj4KOX
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 27, 2025

Overall, the Jazz have found their starting center for the foreseeable future and a building block for their young core. An elite defender, play-finisher, and offensive rebounder, Kessler is already one of the better centers in the NBA in just his third season.

As we’ve seen, he’s going to continue to improve his game. The Jazz will be able to negotiate a contract extension with Kessler as soon as this summer but could choose to wait until the following offseason to preserve cap space.

Either way, expect Kessler to be a mainstay going forward.

Defense

Efficiency

Extra Possessions

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