Because the Utah Jazz are likely to miss the NBA playoffs, they will be focusing on player development as the season winds down, so Walker Kessler’s performance will be under scrutiny.
After finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race in 2022-23, Walker Kessler has failed to live up to the hype this year, as his numbers have gone down, particularly on the offensive end, where he was expected to make huge improvements.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recently broke down Walker Kessler’s game to highlight this, as he joined The Drive with Spence Checketts on ESPN 700.
“You cannot be a non-shooting 7-footer in today’s NBA and a poor screener and be a factor on a good team,” MacMahon said. “He has to master the art and science of screening. That should be the primary focus this offseason.”
“I don’t need to preach the value of the screen in Salt Lake City. The screen was the most popular thing in Utah for the last six or seven years of (Rudy) Gobert’s career,” he added.
Walker Kessler is out of the starting lineup for the Utah Jazz
Walker Kessler was supposed to be the regular starting center for the Utah Jazz this season, but fast forward to today, he is being displaced by their rookie, Taylor Hendricks.
Hendricks has more to offer on the offensive end for the Utah Jazz while providing almost the same defensive impact as Kessler.
In his last three games, Taylor Hendricks has averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and two three-pointers made per contest. Besides being more polished offensively, Taylor Hendricks is versatile enough to guard different positions, unlike Walker Kessler.
Right now, where Walker Kessler offers the biggest value is his presence in the paint, as he is still one of the NBA’s premier shot blockers at 2.6 blocks per game. This is great considering he only averages 23.5 minutes per contest overall.
After missing four games due to injury earlier this month, Walker Kessler’s production has slightly improved. In his last six outings, he has averaged 5.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game coming off the bench.