Jazz's Will Hardy Sees One Key Improvement From Walker Kessler

The Utah Jazz saw a stellar performance from their third-year big man Walker Kessler on Friday night despite their loss to the Toronto Raptors.

In 33 minutes of game time, Kessler posted an eye-popping statline of 18 points, eight blocks, and a career-high 25 rebounds, also logging a Jazz franchise record of 18 rebounds in one half.

It's been a year full of strides forward for Kessler, but especially so when it comes to his rebounding. The 23-year-old is averaging a career-best 12.3 boards a night, with the skillset truly coming alive during Utah's contest against the Raptors.

Following the contest, Hardy was asked what he thinks has attributed to Kessler's progression on the boards.

"I think Walker's doing a really good job of keeping the ball alive," Hardy said. "I feel like earlier in his career, the rebound plays were a little bit all-or-nothing. If we didn't get the ball initially, he wasn't coming up with enough of them. Now, he's learned to use his length to keep the ball alive, tip it to himself... Those plays are ultimately why his rebounding numbers have gone way up, because that is what turns into the phrase that we use a lot, rebounding out of your area."

After navigating his way through trade rumors in the first half of this season, Kessler has now silenced that chatter en route to further cementing his place as the center of the future for this young Utah core.

What a performance from Kid Kess last night 🤠#MilestoneMoment presented by @MichelobULTRA pic.twitter.com/NGKDIMbQTw
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2025

Especially after a turbulent sophomore campaign, Kessler has done an excellent job of making strong improvements on both sides of the ball, which was put on full display against Toronto.

With just under 20 games left in the Jazz's regular season campaign, Kessler will have a few more opportunities lying ahead to continue staking his claim as one of the most appealing young centers in the NBA.

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