Walker Kessler Proves Jazz the Early Winners of Rudy Gobert Trade
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The Utah Jazz rolled into Minnesota and defeated the Timberwolves, 126-125, in an action-packed up-tempo basketball game. This contest included several in-game narratives.
Namely, the offseason trade that sent former Jazzman Rudy Gobert to Minnesota for a bevy of draft picks, players, and salary-cap relief. Several of my previous articles expressed distaste for trades in general, as one partner will not receive equal value. As the season has progressed, it's becoming clear that the Jazz were winners of the Gobert trade.
In Monday's game, the Jazz had seven players finish with double-digit scoring, including all starters and three former Timberwolves. Jordan Clarkson's 21 points, Collin Sexton's 19 points, Ochai Agbaji's 17 points, Jarred Vanderbilt's 15 points, Mike Conley's 14 points, and Malik Beasley's 10 points paced the Jazz scoring frenzy.
But this game belonged to Walker Kessler as he flat-out dominated the Wolves by scoring 20 points, grabbing 21 boards, dropping four assists, and two blocks while shooting 69.2% from the field. Games like this display validated proof the Jazz won this trade with flying colors.
The Timberwolves did not back away from the Jazz and provided some intense moments of their own. Minnesota landed six players in double-digits, led by the current face of their franchise Anthony Edwards, who scored 29 points, five assists, four boards, and three steals. His back-court mate D'Angelo Russell chipped in 21 points and seven assists.
The loss dropped the Timberwolves to 22-23, and are now ranked No. 9 in the Western Conference. The playoffs are still on the table.
The win raised the Jazz to 23-24. Utah is No. 8 in the Western Conference and on a playoff trajectory.
Now, let's review the winners and losers of tonight's exciting match-up.
Winner: Walker Kessler
The Timberwolves simply had no answer for Kessler, who slashed through their defense like a hot knife through butter. In addition to his dominant stat line above, Kessler is the main reason why the Jazz won the trade. Even before being elected as a Jazz starter, his potential was off the charts.
Kessler doesn't have an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, but is already a more fundamentally sound player than Gobert. And I do not recall Gobert having a 20-20 game in his rookie season.
I'm not saying Kessler is currently better than Gobert. However, Kessler will close the defensive gap sooner than later with a much smaller price tag.
Think about paying a player $40 million in a season without true offensive skills. Trading Gobert is what the Jazz have avoided, and the Timberwolves have inherited.
Loser: Minnesota Front Office
The Timberwolves' brain trust is realizing that trading for Gobert in the offseason is not tuning out the way the organization envisioned. Center Karl-Anthony Towns is currently on a max contract yet has an injury prohibiting his ability to perform.
The Timberwolves will have to offer an additional max contract to Anthony Edwards or lose him to a different NBA roster. Add Gobert and what money his contract guarantees, and the Timberwolves are not in a prime position.
Injuries are unfortunate, and I never want to see any player sustain an injury. Even without injury, the decision by Minnesota's front office was not fiscally responsible.
Teams also know that neither Towns nor Gobert can defend out on the perimeter against what is termed 'small ball.' Jazz Nation can rest easy knowing this trade will go down as one of the biggest heists in NBA history, clearly in favor of Utah.
Bottom Line
The 801 handled its business against the Wolves and pulled out the victory. The Jazz organization is in a prime position today, tomorrow, and into the future especially compared to the Wolves.
Maybe teams will seriously consider not trading for players in the future, as we are witnessing how lopsided the Gobert trade is becoming. Hats off to Kessler and the Jazz brain trust for making proper adjustments to the starting lineup, along with flipping the losing switch to restore the team's playoff aspirations.
The Jazz will play the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at Vivint Smart Arena.
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