Walker Kessler Hype & Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter The Midnight
- Start date
The article says they asked 3 scouts if they would rather have Kessler or Wiseman...2 of them said Kessler and the 3rd said Kessler right now but Wiseman in 2024 and beyond because he believes Wisman has greater upside.
I will be shocked if Wiseman ends up having a better career than Kessler.
Wiseman still has great upside! He dropped 30pts on Claxton in December with starter minutes. Wiseman is classic case of being drafted by the wrong team.
Tbh I think this is the case with many so-called busts. NBA is a game of opportunity and luck in sense of finding a way into a team that fits that certain player. Things would be much different if the coaches' approach would be to utilize their building blocks to the utmost instead of trying to fit random players into molds. I think this is the difference between old-school coaching and modern way of coaching. I won't go as far as saying modern NBA as the association is far from this but maybe the future NBA. Its all about adaptability on the franchis' side.
Coach Ellis
Well-Known Member
Despite Wiseman’s upside, I still think it’s better to prioritize other positions. Walker Kessler has already proven that he can handle a bigger role moving forward and the Jazz have been burned before by investing too much in the center position. They’ve got a guy who looks like a foundational piece on a great contract - lean into that and invest heavily in wings, stretch big and shooters.
Stars come from somewhere...
Coach Ellis
Well-Known Member
Best part about this image is that Walker Kessler is easily the cheapest costing player in the effective quadrant - by a long shot.
He's in GREAT company also. I mean, look at all those other guys!!
Our boy Walker is up to #3 in the NBA.com KIA Rookie ladder.
www.nba.com
In that post was a SLC Dunk fan blog that contains quite impressive metrics and case for ROY. NBA.com noticed this fan post as well:
www.slcdunk.com
Kia Rookie Ladder: AJ Griffin finding his rhythm in Atlanta
The No. 16 overall pick is on the rise, while his collegiate teammate Paolo Banchero maintains the top spot.
In that post was a SLC Dunk fan blog that contains quite impressive metrics and case for ROY. NBA.com noticed this fan post as well:
Walker Kessler should be the leading Rookie of the Year candidate
Kessler is the most impactful rookie in the class and it’s not really even that close
www.slcdunk.com
Jaanipoeg
Well-Known Member
He has a lot of court vision and shooting development to make before we can compare him to Gasol, but that would be incredible.
YoungJefe
Well-Known Member
He's much further along in his development than Gasol was at the same stage.
YoungJefe
Well-Known Member
Wiseman is still living off of the hype he had coming out of HS, Kessler has already proven to be an effective NBA player.
Jaanipoeg
Well-Known Member
Yeah that's true, Gasol didn't come over to the NBA until he was 24. I love Kessler and am very high on him, he is scoring at a blistering 70+% inside right now. Giannis has proven that sometimes trying to develop weaker areas can not be worth it if he can further hone aspects you are elite at. I guess I just don't think Marc Gasol is the right comp for him, but if he can develop some of those areas that would be amazing.
FT% does seem to be a pretty indicator of shooting potential, and Kessler's 55% is pretty rough at this point. Gasol shot 73% as a rookie and got up into the 80%'s. But Kessler seems to have a good drive and work ethic. He proved in college that he has the willingness to shoot outside the paint and if he can keep working on that he can be exciting. Karl Malone shot 48% from the line his rookie season and got it up to almost 80% by the end of his career, and developed a nice rounded offense game to say the least, but comparing his progress to a top 20 player of all time is dangerous haha.
YoungJefe
Well-Known Member
He hit some 3's in college though so I definitely think it's in the range of outcomes for him to become a decent shooter as he develops.
I would refer to Kessler as the 2nd best package or 2nd most important player but tbh I think Conley is such an important part of this team in setting up the court that I think I would still currently rate him above Kessler.
But damn does this Jazz have such a bright future with its young core! This really blows my mind considering that expectations for the team were all-time low and NOBODY expected this from Lauri and Walker.
Tremendous Upside
Well-Known Member
IMO there's nothing stopping Kessler from becoming a good FT shooter. But right now his technique is all over the place. He just kind of flings the ball toward the basket with no concentration. And there's way too many moving parts in his shooting motion.
I hope the coaches work with him on this stuff, as it's really important for a low post center like him to start hitting his free throws.
I hope the coaches work with him on this stuff, as it's really important for a low post center like him to start hitting his free throws.