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Walker Kessler highlights

It was brought to my attention that Kessler was drafted by Memphis with our pick from the Conley trade before he was traded to Minnesota. So essentially we spent another 1st on a lumbering center.
 
For what it's worth, the comps from the Ringer (KOC) were Poetl & Jarrett Allen:

PLUSES
  • At 245 pounds with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, he blocks 4.5 shots per game, swatting everything in sight around the rim while avoiding fouls. He’s so big and yet so nimble, fluidly changing directions to act as a deterrent. Opponents don’t even bother testing him. Factor in his discipline and IQ, and he has a chance to become one of the game’s best defenders.
  • He’s primarily a drop defender in the pick-and-roll but has shown the agility to get stops on the perimeter. He’s comfortable sliding his feet away from the basket and has elite body control, slamming the breaks then pivoting directions to stay with attackers.
  • Competitive rebounder who boxes out on defense. When he gobbles up defensive boards he does a nice job of locating his outlet with a pass.
  • Good finisher inside with soft hands and the leaping ability to clean up around the rim. He’s so smooth off the catch, there’s never any wasted motion to allow a defense the time to strip the ball.
  • Sets solid screens and has a good feel for a big’s responsibilities, utilizing dribble handoffs and passing to cutters inside.
  • A modern big with chops as a ball handler and playmaker thanks to his training. Bigs are now raised doing guard drills. By no means will he run an offense, but he can make plays when needed.
  • Comes from a basketball family—his brother played in college, his dad played overseas, and his uncle played four years in the NBA.
MINUSES
  • Has shot just 21.6 percent from 3 and 57.6 percent from the line in college. He was a better shooter in high school, though never a knockdown threat.
  • He’s not an incredibly explosive player and has struggled in some matchups against physical and lengthy defenders.
  • Lacks an advanced set of post moves.
 
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One of the more interesting tidbits about him is his 14.7% body-fat Combine measurement. Though I'm never quite sure what to think about body-fat measurements, maybe this relatively high number suggests potential (if you could somehow get him to follow a Gobert-like training regimen) for more athletic improvement than the average player might have?
 
Okay... super weird thing... he is right handed, but blocks shots a ton with his left hand. Are we going to have a "are we sure he shoots with the right hand?" discussion.
 
Handlogten's Heros said:
Okay... super weird thing... he is right handed, but blocks shots a ton with his left hand. Are we going to have a "are we sure he shoots with the right hand?" discussion.
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What hand does he pee with? That's an actual question I was asked when I was a kid. I was right handed but shot lefty.

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nateboz said:
What hand does he pee with? That's an actual question I was asked when I was a kid. I was right handed but shot lefty.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
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I don’t think that correlates with handedness.
 
I honestly wonder if part of his superior block rate is because he focuses on using his left hand to block shots... since most guys are right handed.

I just found it weird. He goes up with both hands a lot but almost exclusively blocks it with his left hand. I would think the more reactionary action would be blocking shots and that would be done with your dominant hand.

When you hear locke talking about the big market inefficiency is dudes that block the ball with their left hand this season I just want you to know it was noted here first.
 
The thing that stands out about Walker Kessler is that he's light on his feet. He moves really well for a guy that long. I don't think he's really ready to play this season, or at least not a lot of minutes. His body needs a lot of work. I could see him developing into a Poeltl/Zubac-caliber rotation big within a few years though. He's probably more of a backup in the long run.
 
sip said:
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He showed some decent moves in the post in this game - if he can put on real NBA strength and still retain some defensive prowess and post moves, the Jazz just might have something to work with. . .

I’d start with Dok in the starting lineup, and maybe send Walker down to the G-league for a season to compete with Kofi.
 
Handlogten's Heros said:
I honestly wonder if part of his superior block rate is because he focuses on using his left hand to block shots... since most guys are right handed.

I just found it weird. He goes up with both hands a lot but almost exclusively blocks it with his left hand. I would think the more reactionary action would be blocking shots and that would be done with your dominant hand.

When you hear locke talking about the big market inefficiency is dudes that block the ball with their left hand this season I just want you to know it was noted here first.
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Just an anecdote: I’m right handed and would try to block shots with my dominate hand up until high school until I had an assistant coach pull me aside and tell me that I’d block a lot more shots if I started going up with my left hand. Turns out he was right. It took me a little while to get used to it, but once I did, I blocked A LOT more shots.
 
Jazzman12 said:
Just an anecdote: I’m right handed and would try to block shots with my dominate hand up until high school until I had an assistant coach pull me aside and tell me that I’d block a lot more shots if I started going up with my left hand. Turns out he was right. It took me a little while to get used to it, but once I did, I blocked A LOT more shots.
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I mean, isn’t the idea to block shots with the hand that is on the ball side…so if a guy drives right, you block with your left. Depending on the exact angle of course. But yeah, 99% of people still don’t do that. I know I very rarely did.
 
Coach Ellis said:
He showed some decent moves in the post in this game - if he can put on real NBA strength and still retain some defensive prowess and post moves, the Jazz just might have something to work with. . .

I’d start with Dok in the starting lineup, and maybe send Walker down to the G-league for a season to compete with Kofi.
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Not to nitpick, but you do realize that those “decent moves” are moves that our departed All Star center never had in the repertoire. This kid outplayed the top three Jabari Smith in a battle of wills in this historic High School encounter.

I agree on the DOK front regarding who starts, but I’d really like to see some major league minutes for this kid, this year. For me, the main point of a rebuild is accelerated development and opportunities for young guys to really show out. No doubt, you’re correct that this kid is a work in progress and has to put on some muscle but so do all the other four and five star rooks. I mean if Kofi catches fire in G League and Kessler fails to compete at this level, by all means make the adjustment. Baptism by fire baby, should be fun!
 
Release the Kraken said:
Not to nitpick, but you do realize that those “decent moves” are moves that our departed All Star center never had in the repertoire. This kid outplayed the top three Jabari Smith in a battle of wills in this historic High School encounter.

I agree on the DOK front regarding who starts, but I’d really like to see some major league minutes for this kid, this year. For me, the main point of a rebuild is accelerated development and opportunities for young guys to really show out. No doubt, you’re correct that this kid is a work in progress and has to put on some muscle but so do all the other four and five star rooks. I mean if Kofi catches fire in G League and Kessler fails to compete at this level, by all means make the adjustment. Baptism by fire baby, should be fun!
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Against HSers lmao.

Gobert was doing post moves against pros in the Olympics
 
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