Walker Kessler plays centre for the Utah Jazz currently. He is a rookie drafted by the Minnesota Timber Wolves in the 2023 season. He got traded by two teams in just a single season before making his mark playing for the Utah Jazz. He has won the NBA Rookie of the Month award and came third in the run for Rookie of the Year this past season.
He is a 22-year-old resident of Atlanta Georgia who grew up in an athletic family with his father and uncle both playing for the NBA. He had proper guidance from his early days of playing ball and has a good build for the game. Kessler’s father, Chad and his uncle Alec were both 6 ft 8 and 6 ft 11 respectively and played as forwards and centres for the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets. He is following in his father's footsteps and is making quite the name for himself already in his rookie season. He has a height of 7 ft and is considered to be one of the best rim protectors in the NBA currently.
Recruiters were unsure about his offensive play as he didn't put up many numbers in his college seasons playing for the Auburn Tigers. Those doubts were cleared in the 2023 season after the young rookie set a career-high 31 points against the Kings and averaged a decent scoring output for the Jazz.
What number does Kessler wear?
Walker Kessler wears the number #24 playing for the Utah Jazz.
His career has been a rollercoaster since his early days. In high school, Kessler joined North Carolina where he wasn't given the amount of play time and opportunities he needed to grow his draft value. He transferred to Auburn in the coming year showing his potential to the scouts. Kessler set the Tigers’ single-season block record and registered his first ever triple-double that year. He also led the entire nation in blocked shots.
His draft in the NBA was also very complicated as he was first supposed to be selected by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Minnesota Timber
Wolves during the draft. Then after a few weeks of being drafted, he got traded again to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert.
Through all the doubts Kessler showed everyone what he is capable of and how useful he can be in just his first year playing in the NBA. No one knew Kessler would be this good so early in his rookie season showing his defensive as well as offensive talents. He has good shooting mechanics, is a constant lob threat and has a nice touch around the rim. His defensive talents have never been in question.
Kessler was selected 22nd overall despite the NBA being a league that values rim protection. This is just the start of Kessler’s journey and he still has a lot of
improvements he can work on to make his game even better. He has shown all the sceptics what he is capable of given the opportunity and is looking better by the day. If he doesn't have any major injuries in the coming years and continues to hone his skills then he will surely put himself in the history books. Currently, he is one of the rising stars in the NBA to look out for.
FAQs
A. Kessler has a measured wingspan of 7 ft 6 inches.
A. Walker Kessler was born in Atlanta, Georgia and is currently residing in Georgia.
A. Chad Kessler is Walker Kessler’s father. Walker’s father and uncle were both drafted in the NBA.
A. Walker Kessler got offers from Duke, Virginia, Michigan and Vanderbilt before choosing to play for North Carolina.
A. His full name is Walker Ross Kessler.
