Walker Kessler

Walker Kessler

23-Year-Old CenterC
Utah Jazz  NBA  
Utah Jazz
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Following an impressive rookie season, Kessler was seen as a slam dunk in drafts last season, with many going as high as the third round to secure his services. Sadly, he failed to live up to the hype, replicating what he did during the 2023-24 campaign with reduced efficiency. Now the dust has settled, it wasn't all doom and gloom for managers. Kessler averaged 2.4 blocks and 7.5 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game and produced in the appropriate categories. Based on what we saw last season, it's hard to project what Kessler's role might look like in 2024-25. The Jazz are really no closer to becoming a contender, so they may move some contracts before the season is done. If the path to minutes becomes clearer, Kessler could finally get the opportunity we thought was due last season. As one of the elite rim protectors in the league, his fantasy floor feels relatively safe around the top 100. If he can get closer to 26 minutes per night, early or late in the season, that rank could push closer to the top 50. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Current Season
#77
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $5.53 million contract with the Jazz in July of 2022. Jazz exercised $2.97 million team option for 2024-25 in October of 2023. Contract includes $4.88 million team option for 2025-26.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Walker Kessler was born in Atlanta, Georgia on July 26, 2001. In high school, he played for Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia and averaged 17.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game during his senior season. He also led his high school squad to the Class 4A state title and was later named The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year, Mr. Georgia Basketball and Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year. Kessler was also rewarded with a selection to the McDonald's All-American Game. As a five-star recruit, Kessler committed to play college basketball for coach Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels. On March 10, 2021, the seven-foot center posted 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks during a 101-59 win over Notre Dame in the second round of the ACC Tournament. However, Kessler decided to transfer after his freshman season with the Tar Heels and chose Auburn over Gonzaga. On Dec. 29, 2021, Kessler recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 11 blocks and 10 rebounds against LSU. At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Kessler was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the All-SEC First Team and a Third Team All American. Regarded as one of the best shot blockers in his class, Kessler declared for the 2022 NBA Draft and chose to forgo his remaining college eligibility. Kessler was drafted by the Grizzlies with the 22nd overall pick.

Will play with starters in camp
CUtah Jazz
October 1, 2024
Coach Will Hardy said Tuesday he anticipates Kessler playing a lot with the starters during the preseason, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
After starting 40 games in 2022-23, Kessler made only 22 starts last year. Hardy was far from committal about Kessler being a starter to begin the 2024-25 campaign, but it does sound like the youngster will at least get a chance to compete for the top spot. The Jazz have a deep frontcourt with a solid mix of prospects and veteran players, and it's unclear how the playing time will be sorted out. For now, Lauri Markkanen and John Collins are the only guys guaranteed starter minutes.
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2023
2022
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2023
2022
Stat Review
How does Walker Kessler compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
  • True Shooting %
    An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
  • Effective Field Goal %
    A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
  • 3-Point Attempt Rate
    Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
  • Free Throw Rate
    Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
  • Offensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Defensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Total Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Assist %
    An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
  • Steal %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Block %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Turnover %
    An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
  • Usage %
    An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
  • Fantasy Points Per Game
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
  • Fantasy Points Per Minute
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
66.3%
 
Effective Field Goal %
66.0%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
5.4%
 
Free Throw Rate
26.6%
 
Offensive Rebound %
12.3%
 
Defensive Rebound %
23.1%
 
Total Rebound %
17.7%
 
Assist %
5.6%
 
Steal %
0.9%
 
Block %
9.2%
 
Turnover %
12.7%
 
Usage %
0.0%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
26.1
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.1
 
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Jazz Depth Chart
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Jazz Rotation: Minutes Breakdown
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Average Fantasy Points
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Walker Kessler was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Walker Kessler See More
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16 days ago
A few RotoWire experts put their fantasy basketball roto rankings to use, participating in a rotisserie mock draft for the 2024-25 season.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
Kessler started his rookie season on the bench, logging fewer than 18 minutes per night for the first two months. During that time, he was able to carve out a roster spot in many fantasy leagues, a move that was to prove fruitful as the season progressed. By the end of the season, he had firmly established himself as the starting center in Utah, putting up top-20 value over the final two months. He ended as a fifth-round player, putting up healthy averages of 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in just 23.0 minutes per game, shooting 72.0 percent from the field. Looking ahead to his sophomore season, Kessler will undoubtedly open as the starting center on a team potentially looking to push back into the playoffs. While direct translations are when projecting value, it's safe to assume he will be a high-priority target this season, likely in the fourth round. Managers must be aware that his value is heavily tied to just three categories. Of the three, blocks are by far his most important and influential category. Over the final two months of last season, he was blocking 3.2 shots per game, logging 28.6 minutes per contest. For anyone who misses out on an elite center earlier in drafts, he presents as a perfect secondary option who could potentially lead the league in blocks in just his second season.
After initially being drafted by the Timberwolves, Kessler was abruptly traded to Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert deal. Landing with the Jazz, Kessler actually finds himself in what could be a favorable spot as the potential starting center. Coming out of college, Kessler was regarded as arguably the best rim protector in the draft, averaging 4.6 swats in just over 25 minutes per game last year at Auburn. His skillset could translate quite well into fantasy, especially if the Jazz opts to roll with him as their primary option. Currently, he will be battling Udoka Azubuike, Kelly Olynyk, Cody Zeller for center minutes heading into camp. Kessler is intriguing as a standard-league flier for fantasy managers who need help in that category at the end of drafts. However, he'll likely be a more practical draft pick in deeper formats.
More Fantasy News
Won't play Tuesday
CUtah Jazz
Rest
July 9, 2024
Kessler (rest) will not play in Tuesday's Salt Lake City Summer League matchup versus the Thunder, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Expected to play in Summer League
CUtah Jazz
Nose
April 16, 2024
The Jazz plan to have Kessler (nose) participate in the 2024 NBA Summer League, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Ruled out for Sunday
CUtah Jazz
Nose
April 13, 2024
Kessler (nose) will not play Sunday against the Warriors.
ANALYSIS
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Won't play Friday
CUtah Jazz
Nose
April 12, 2024
Kessler (nose) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Clippers, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Another absence coming
CUtah Jazz
Nose
April 10, 2024
Kessler (nose) is out for Thursday's game versus the Rockets, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Target for New York?
CUtah Jazz
September 14, 2024
Kessler could be a trade target if the Knicks want to bolster their center depth during the 2024-25 season, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
ANALYSIS
The Knicks are set to open the season with Mitchell Robinson as their starting center, while Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims should operate as the backup options. That's a shaky group at best, especially when considering Robinson's injury history, Achiuwa's offensive limitations and Sims' lack of experience. Kessler is one of the best rim protectors in the league, and if the Knicks decide to target a center midway through the season, the Jazz big man could be one of the best options on the market. However, it's unclear if the Jazz would be open to listening to offers for one of their best young players.
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