Jazz HC & CEO Forecast Walker Kessler's Outlook in Year 2
Utah Jazz first-year standout Walker Kessler garnered some well-deserved attention on Tuesday night by placing third place in the 2023 Kia Rookie of the Year voting. Despite Kessler developing into a bonafide starter in year one, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge isn’t ready to anoint Kessler as a finished product.
Ainge dished his thoughts on the matter in his postseason press conference.
“Walker had a good year, but Walker was surrounded by good players,” Ainge said. “He only had to do what he did. He wasn’t asked to do a whole lot more. He’s got a long way to go in his development. He didn’t have to score that much because he had Jordan [Clarkson], Collin [Sexton], Kelly [Olynyk], and Lauri [Markkanen] all around him. In his career, to get better, he has to do a lot to improve. But he was able to come in and do what he does well.”
Acquired as part of the Rudy Gobert exchange from the Minnesota Timberwolves last summer, the Jazz knew they were getting a prospect that was NBA-ready on the defensive side of the ball. In his final year at Auburn, Kessler averaged 4.6 blocks per game and won SEC Defensive Player of the Year. What turned heads in his first year as a pro was how he developed on offense over the course of the season.
Kessler was able to do things in half-court sets that Gobert still has trouble with. Gobert struggled on offense with his back to the basket and making shots in the paint. Opponents took advantage by playing small ball against Utah, knowing Gobert had trouble dominating against defenders that lacked size.
Putting a smaller defender on Kessler will be much more difficult due to his ability to make shots with his back to the basket and a soft touch around the rim. That being said, Ainge was spot-on in regard to the help Kessler received from his teammates.
Utah had gifted offensive players that created a lot of Kessler’s points by breaking down a defense. Free throws were also a struggle for Kessler, shooting only 51.6% from the charity stripe.
Unlike last year, Utah will have the full offseason to work with Kessler. According to head coach Will Hardy, the main area of focus will be strength.
“Walker is obviously going to spend a lot of time this summer getting stronger,” Hardy said. “Not bigger, necessarily. We don’t want to take away Walker’s mobility or any of the things he does great, but he does have a young body. Trying to get a little bit stronger is going to be a big part of Walker’s summer.”
What leap Kessler takes his sophomore will go a long way toward Utah’s success next year and beyond.
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