Walker Kessler is coming for Rudy Gobert’s crown. That is the path forward in Utah. He’s not overly skilled, but Kessler immediately ranked among the league’s most impactful rim protectors as soon as he set foot on an NBA court. There is something traditional about Kessler’s game. He’s a titanic presence in drop coverage. Guards are scared to drive at him. Kessler won’t switch out on the perimeter much, but he effectively walls off the paint on a nightly basis. The offense is streamlined, but highly efficient.
- Chris Kline
FanSided Staff Writer
Expect Kessler to rank near the top of the NBA in field goal percentage for the next decade. He’s scoring almost exclusively on lobs or in the dunker spot, but that’s fine. Kessler sets thundering screens and, at 7-foot, 245 pounds, he won’t miss much once he’s at the rim. We can expect the same for blocks. His defensive instincts are advanced well beyond his years. Kessler slides his feet well enough in space and his 7-foot-5 wingspan is rather difficult to score around.
Sometimes you just need a couple outlier traits to blossom in the NBA. Kessler vacuums up rebounds, protects the rim better than all but a few, and uses his wide frame to dominate the interior on offense. He doesn’t need to shoot 3s, develop a face-up game, or get too cute with things. He just needs to finish possessions on both ends, which he does at an exceptionally high level.