Jazz’s Walker Kessler Sounds Off After Impressive Opener vs. Clippers

The Utah Jazz ran away with a blowout victory in their season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers for night one of their regular season, coming out to play on both ends of the ball to win 129-108, and starting the new year off right 1-0.

And among the Jazz roster that rattled off a big night in the box score, none might be more eye-catching that fourth-year big man Walker Kessler, who finished playing 29 minutes vs. the Clippers to post a team-high 22 points on 7/7 shooting, paired with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and four blocks.

A fiery start to a critical contract year for Kessler, who, above anything for his statement opening night, had a ton of fun showing out for a home Jazz crowd.

"That was fun. That was fun all-around," Kessler said post-game. "I mean, 38 assists, I think we led in rebounds, we flew around, playe great defense. It was a lot of fun. That's a fun way to play. Celebrate each other, and that kind of energy is contagious."

Oct 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) dunks against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Jazz's energy and success was real on both ends of the floor, but especially defensively, Utah limited the Clippers to just over 30% from beyond the arc, generated double-digit steals, and looked vastly different on that end of the floor from how they finished last season.

"We were just flying around," Kessler said of the Jazz defense. "We were in the right spots at the right time... Just a lot of fun. Did a great job on the glass. A lot of those guys are great crashers. Communicated really well, talked really well. So, it was really nice to see it all come together."

For Kessler in particular, the game was especially impressive for how confidently he shot the ball from deep. He cashed in two threes during the first half to add onto his perfect 7/7 from the field, showing that the big man was clearly active in the gym this summer in order to improve his outside shot.

In his mind, it's an effort to not "stagnate" his game.

"I think a lot of people in the NBA would agree– you never want to stagnate your game. You always want to try and improve. So, that's something that I've been working on. My teammates did a great job of finding the open man. I think everybody shot really well. So, it's nice, but I think the more fun aspect was that everyone was getting to it."

Kessler will try to keep the ball rolling into game two of the regular season, going up against the Sacramento Kings on Friday for a short one-game road trip, hoping to jump to an early 2-0 start on the year.

Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!