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Walker Kessler Hype & Appreciation Thread

Also heard it on the broadcast the last player to have a double double with at least 5 blocked shots in 2 consecutive games was Yao Ming.

Yao Ming!!!

The NBA was still in the Ming Dynasty back then.. lol ..
 
Walker Kessler has been a breath of fresh air. Love Rudy, but outside of great (sometimes moving) high screens he was a net negative on offense. Kessler is way more advanced as a rookie than Gobert is even now. Huge upside for that as he transforms his body and works on his game year after year. Jazz got a good one.
 
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.
Yeah, but he seems to make the big ones with chips on the line. One thing we don’t talk enough about is our player development program. But when you look at how well we shoot the ball as a team, and improvements across the board (Vando’s three shooting for example) I’m pretty sure that Jet and Horny had a hand in that. I feel like Kessler is in capable hands.
 
Walker Kessler has been a breath of fresh air. Love Rudy, but outside of great (sometimes moving) high screens he was a net negative on offense. Kessler is way more advanced as a rookie than Gobert is even now. Huge upside for that as he transforms his body and works on his game year after year. Jazz got a good one.
I hate to say it, but watching Gobert in Minny this season he looks washed to an extent. None of that quick twitch jumping we now see from Kessler and used to see from Gobert. The box for their game tonight indicated “held out, coaches decision”.
 
Yeah, but he seems to make the big ones with chips on the line. One thing we don’t talk enough about is our player development program. But when you look at how well we shoot the ball as a team, and improvements across the board (Vando’s three shooting for example) I’m pretty sure that Jet and Horny had a hand in that. I feel like Kessler is in capable hands.
Has Vando improved or has he just been allowed?

His FT% is exactly the same as last year's.
 
From last night's game: 17 PTS 14 REB 7 BLK 8-10 FG First player with that statline or better on 80 FG% since Dwight Howard in 2009. Just wow...
 
At this point I'm nearly thinking that if the Jazz traded away four first round picks and a couple of solid rotational players for Kessler that the price was too steep but I can see it.

The fact the Jazz got him AND four first round picks AND two solid rotational players? Holy ****.
 
I hate to say it, but watching Gobert in Minny this season he looks washed to an extent. None of that quick twitch jumping we now see from Kessler and used to see from Gobert. The box for their game tonight indicated “held out, coaches decision”.
To be fair he has been nursing a groin injury, and those can take a while to fully heal and put a real damper on your explosiveness.
 
The re-draft question is quite interesting to me. Based on what we've seen, I have him in the #6-9 range, inching closer to 6 than 9. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder in the last group.

Really quite fascinating on how to value a player like Kessler in the new-school NBA, though I think people are starting to realize his athleticism/mobility. He's not your throwback statue rim protector.

Definitely picked higher in re-draft:
Paolo Banchero (clear-cut)
Bennedict Mathurin (ditto)

Probably picked higher, wouldn't fight you on it:
Chet Holmgren (potential too tantalizing, can't give up on him yet)
Jaden Ivey (talent really pops; will get more efficient)
Jabari Smith (still oozes prototype big talent)

Could argue these guys; Walker might be better:
Keegan Murray (has been underappreciated; if he keeps shooting the 3 like this, watch out)
Jeremy Sochan (absolute nightmare defensive potential; true guard all 5 positions type)
Jalen Williams (really high floor)

Would clearly take Walker over:
Everyone else
 
If Kessler averages 30 minutes per game with current pace in blocks.. he might end up #1 in blocks per game in the league.

Currently he is #4 with 2.1 BLK in 20 MPG and the 3 guys ahead of him are 30 MPG each and Claxton leads the league with 2.6
 
But he was a late pick. We have Gobert-lite with offense. Wow!
Might end up being not that light as well. Has great instincts around the basket on both ends of the court. I could also see him being a 12-13 rebounds per game kind of guy. Would not surprise me one bit to see Kessler end up with at least a few seasons of 18 ppg, 13 rpg, 2-3 bpg, 2-3 apg.

18/13/3/3 is stellar for a center like him.
 
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