Jazz HC Reveals How Walker Kessler has Accelerated his Development
The Utah Jazz took some pressure off by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Wednesday night. One big contributor to Utah's win was rookie center Walker Kessler, who came off the bench to impact the game in a big, bad way.
Kessler saw 21:52 minutes, which is about a six-minute increase over his average this season, totaling five points, four rebounds, and four blocked shots. Jazz Nation foresees the day in the not-too-distant future when the rookie out of Auburn cracks the starting lineup.
After Wednesday night's victory, Jazz head coach Will Hardy talked about what makes Kessler special and an increasingly valuable member of this team.
“It’s pretty amazing what Walker is able to do at this stage in his career," Hardy said post-game on Wednesday. "We’ve talked about it a lot but it can’t be over-emphasized, his ability to block shots with both hands. A lot of players around the rim—verticality is a big thing in the NBA, so guys sort of jump straight up and they aren’t really looking at anything. Walker has an unbelievable ability to be straight up and follow the ball with his eyes, and at the end, get the ball with whatever hand is on that side. He’s really, really good for us in that area."
According to Hardy, Kessler is steadily improving and learning the fine basketball art of blocking the shot without triggering the whistle.
"He’s getting better and better every day at doing it without fouling, which is an art," Hardy said. "Sometimes you get tempted to reach in and slap down and he’s picking his moments of when to go block the shot and when to just make them finish over him. He’s been unbelievable for us in that area and it’s something that we’re going to continue to need from him."
A big part of Kessler's effectiveness is his preparation. The rookie studies the film, constantly building his basketball IQ, which avails him greatly on the court.
"He watches a lot of film," Hardy said of Kessler. "He’s learning pick-and-roll defense in the NBA, trying to figure out the right height that he needs to be at, depending on who’s coming off the screen, so he doesn’t get blown by. But Walker works hard and he’s a very cerebral kid. He studies the game on both ends of the floor a lot.”
As it stands, Kessler is averaging 15.3 minutes, five points, nearly two blocks, and five rebounds per game. Expect those numbers to steadily increase as the season marches on.
The Jazz weren't sure what kind of defensive presence in the paint they'd field in 2022-23 after trading away Rudy Gobert, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Rome wasn't built in a day, but Kessler is working his way toward replacing that rim-protection menace like no other player in Utah.
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