<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-utah-rookie-walker-kessler-get-shocking-team-usa-confirmation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz rookie Walker Kessler gets shocking Team USA confirmation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Kessler.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz rookie Walker Kessler gets shocking Team USA confirmation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-06-14T18:46:46-07:00">June 14th, 6:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-06-14T21:27:48-07:00">June 14th, 9:27pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David is in his first season as an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Utah Jazz started off the 2023 NBA season as one of the more surprising teams in the league. While they were initially projected to join <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-trade-talks-shut-down-2023-nba-draft" rel="noopener">the Victor Wembanyama tanking sweepstakes</a>, they were in the midst of the Western Conference playoff picture up until the final weeks of the regular season. Since they missed the playoffs, they will have a lottery pick at No. 9 overall. While they will get a chance to add a lottery talent to this roster, they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-kyle-lowry-challenges-walker-kessler-epic-finals-moment" rel="noopener">already have one</a> in Walker Kessler. Although Kessler was drafted late in the first round, he is a lottery talent. On Wednesday, Walker Kessler took the next leap in his career <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1669147573179801602?s=20" rel="noopener">being named</a> to Team USA for the upcoming FIBA World Cup as per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler has committed to play for Team USA's FIBA World Cup team this summer in the Philippines, sources tell ESPN. Kessler had an All-Rookie season, averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks</p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1669147573179801602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Originally drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Kessler was traded on draft night to the Minnesota Timberwolves who then traded him to the Jazz. He started out with sporadic playing time, but by midseason he was a fixture in the Jazz rotation and in the starting lineup. He even made a late push for the Rookie of the Year race.</p><p>During the season, Kessler averaged 9.2 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots with splits of 72 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 51.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Walker Kessler will now get a shot with Team USA to prove himself on the international stage. The FIBA World Cup is set to tip-off on Aug. 23 and run until Sept. 10.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz rookie Walker Kessler gets shocking Team USA confirmation

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-kyle-lowry-challenges-walker-kessler-epic-finals-moment');   ga('set', 'title', '‘What’s the next step?’: Kyle Lowry challenges Jazz rookie Walker Kessler in epic NBA Finals moment');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/What_s-the-next-step-_-Kyle-Lowry-challenges-Jazz-rookie-Walker-Kessler-in-epic-NBA-Finals-moment.jpg"></figure><h1>‘What’s the next step?’: Kyle Lowry challenges Jazz rookie Walker Kessler in epic NBA Finals moment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-06-03T21:51:23-07:00">June 3rd, 9:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-06-03T21:51:23-07:00">June 3rd, 9:51pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz rookie Walker Kessler was without a doubt <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-walker-kessler-goes-nuclear-insane-stat-line-shaq" rel="noopener">one of the biggest steals</a> of the 2022 NBA Draft. The Jazz snagged the former UNC and Auburn standout as the No. 22 overall pick in the draft, and he turned out to be a real gem for Utah. Kessler established himself as one of the top rim protectors in the entire league, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-all-rookie-teams-revealed-paolo-banchero" rel="noopener">his efforts were rewarded</a> with a call-up to the All-Rookie first team.</p><p>The NBA provided Kessler with an opportunity to link up with Miami Heat veteran Kyle Lowry now that the latter is in the NBA Finals. The Jazz youngster got to ask Lowry for some advice, and it turned out to be a real learning experience for Kessler.</p><p>For starters, Lowry praised the 7-foot-1 big man for a “great year” with the Jazz. The veteran then provided some sage advice for Kessler in a heartwarming big-brother moment:</p><p>“First off, you’re on a great start, right? You’re in a great situation,” Lowry said. “You got great coaches, great organization, that’s one. I think the next thing is that you have to figure out and continue to better your basketball individual game (and) better in taking care of your body.</p><p>“You gotta never be satisfied with just being All-Rookie team. You gotta be ready. Now, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1665141133935083520?s=20" rel="noopener">what’s the next step?</a> Playoffs, All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, stuff like that. That’s gotta be the mindset.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He knows who I am, wow."</p><p>2023 NBA Finals media correspondent Walker Kessler gets some advice from Kyle Lowry!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/YouTubeTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YouTubeTV</a> <br>MIA/DEN Game 2: Sunday, 8 PM ET on ABC <a href="https://t.co/5erCEZyynh">pic.twitter.com/5erCEZyynh</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1665141133935083520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That’s some great stuff right there from Lowry. Even Kessler himself seemed a bit overwhelmed as the Jazz stud asked if he could bring out a piece of paper to take note of all the knowledge Lowry just dropped on him.</p><p>Right now, Walker Kessler is on the right path, and so long as he keeps his head in the right place, the sky’s the limit for this young man.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

‘What’s the next step?’: Kyle Lowry challenges Jazz rookie Walker Kessler in epic NBA Finals moment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-nikola-jokic-walker-kessler-have-hilarious-exchange-ahead-of-nba-finals-game-2');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nikola Jokic, Walker Kessler have hilarious exchange ahead of NBA Finals Game 2');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Jokic-Kessler.jpg"></figure><h1>Nikola Jokic, Walker Kessler have hilarious exchange ahead of NBA Finals Game 2</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-06-03T13:30:42-07:00">June 3rd, 1:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-06-03T13:30:42-07:00">June 3rd, 1:30pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David is in his first season as an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat have two days of rest before retaking the court for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Each team has had media availabilities though in the days between games. While much of the focus until Sunday’s game will be on what the Heat can do to make adjustments and avoid getting stuck in a 2-0 hole, some of the media availabilities <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-jamal-murray-hilariously-called-out-by-bennedict-mathurin-during-nba-finals-presser" rel="noopener">are light-hearted and humorous</a>. Nuggets star Nikola Jokic found himself in the middle of one of those exchanges when he found himself <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1665069803667636225?s=20" rel="noopener">fielding questions</a> from a ‘reporter’ by the name of Walker Kessler from Kessler Sports Fan Page.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Kessler: "Just wanna know, how are you doing?"</p><p>Nikola Jokic: “I like it! Doing good, it’s rainy today, so.”</p><p>Kessler: “Listen, my day got brighter when I saw you.”</p><p>Wholesome interaction between Jazz center Walker Kessler and Nikola Jokic 😂🙌<a href="https://t.co/9j0gfVXyVD">pic.twitter.com/9j0gfVXyVD</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1665069803667636225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I know you get a lot of questions about basketball and everything,” Kessler said. “I just want to know how are you doing, how are you feeling?”</p><p>Jokic responded with, “Doing good, it’s rainy today.”</p><p>At the end of the exchange, Kessler ended his time by telling Jokic, “Awesome, thank you, big fan!”</p><p>For a young rookie center like Walker Kessler, learning and studying Nikola Jokic might not be such a bad idea. Kessler just finished up an impressive rookie season during which he was in the running for the Rookie of the Year Award. Kessler averaged 9.2 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots with splits of 72 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 51.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>In comparison, during Jokic’s rookie season he averaged 10.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 51.2 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 81.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Kessler would be wise to pay close attention to Jokic during the NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nikola Jokic, Walker Kessler have hilarious exchange ahead of NBA Finals Game 2

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-walker-kessler-voter-ruining-paolo-bancheros-unanimous-roy-bid-defends-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'Walker Kessler voter ‘ruining’ Paolo Banchero’s unanimous ROY bid defends picking Jazz center');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Jazz-news-Walker-Kessler-voter-_ruining_-Paolo-Banchero_s-unanimous-ROY-bid-defends-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Walker Kessler voter ‘ruining’ Paolo Banchero’s unanimous ROY bid defends picking Jazz center</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-13T22:16:17-07:00">April 13th, 10:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-13T22:16:44-07:00">April 13th, 10:16pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The eye test versus analytics debate can get pretty ugly sometimes. Both camps ardently stick to their views, and it has become increasingly difficult to find common ground. The latest instance centers around the 2022-23 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-why-paolo-banchero-is-ways-ahead-rookie-of-the-year-race-orlando-coach" rel="noopener">NBA rookie of the Year</a>. One voter immediately put an end to Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero’s <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1646678020260872192" rel="noopener">unanimous bid</a> by instead deeming <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-ex-jazz-owner-pursue-league-expansion-franchise" rel="noopener">Utah Jazz</a> center Walker Kessler to be the more worthy candidate.</p><p>Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1646680161738444800?s=46&amp;t=hc5NrTRIWu5hhJBvuuWS9g" rel="noopener">explained his reasoning</a> for the pick, which he claimed had nothing to do with him covering the Jazz. It was all about the numbers.</p><p>“Basically… the advanced stats all favor Kessler, and I’ve always been an analytically-oriented voter,” Larsen Tweeted. “I think I would have made this vote even if I covered another team.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Basically… the advanced stats all favor Kessler, and I've always been an analytically-oriented voter. I think I would have made this vote even if I covered another team. </p><p>Here's where the rookies rank in EPM, and here's what I wrote in explaining my vote. <a href="https://t.co/bmYd0RQEwI">pic.twitter.com/bmYd0RQEwI</a></p><p>— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1646680161738444800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The graphic he posted shows how Kesssler was the superior rookie in the advanced metrics, notably blowing Banchero away in Estimated Plus-Minus (+2.1 to -0.9). Essentially, Larsen is arguing that Kessler, with his 2.3 blocks per game and a win share of 7.1, elevated his team while on the floor whereas the Magic were statistically better with Banchero on the bench.</p><p>Of course, it is a little more complicated than that. Banchero was forced to shoulder a heavy offensive load on an inferior team. The result was a 42.7 field goal percentage and 29.8 percent from 3-point range. Volume and and production- 20 points and 6.9 rebounds per game define his case for the award. However, he certainly looked the part of a future cornerstone throughout the season. And that is an intangible that will garner much consideration in this process.</p><p>Larsen’s argument did not convince other voters, as evidenced by NBACentral. The Kessler vote not only prevents Banchero from joining an exclusive group of perfect ROY ballots, but it also flooded the beat writer’s mentions on Twitter. He will be defending his vote for a long time.</p><p>But he seems perfectly fine with that. Perhaps, he is but the first to barrel through the wall, with more writers looking to his analytics-driven approach for Rookie of the Year in the coming years.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Walker Kessler voter ‘ruining’ Paolo Banchero’s unanimous ROY bid defends picking Jazz center

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-walker-kessler-crushing-injury-update-rookie-campaign');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz’s Walker Kessler dealt crushing injury update that ends impressive rookie campaign');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Jazz-Walker-Kessler.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jazz’s Walker Kessler dealt crushing injury update that ends impressive rookie campaign</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-03T11:34:55-07:00">April 3rd, 11:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-03T11:34:55-07:00">April 3rd, 11:34am</time><address><a>Quenton Albertie</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After leaving the court in the second half their loss against the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spencer-dinwiddie-drops-truth-bomb-after-nets-nearly-choke-away-23-point-lead-vs-jazz" rel="noopener">Brooklyn Nets</a> after sustaining a head injury, Utah Jazz rookie center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-walker-kessler-exits-game-nets-possible-season-ending-concussion" rel="noopener">Walker Kessler</a> has <a href="https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/1642945940641452032" rel="noopener">entered the league’s concussion protocols</a>, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.</p><p>This will likely end Kessler’s season, as there are only four games remaining on the regular season schedule for the Jazz.</p><p>However, with the Jazz holding a 36-42 record and just 1.5 games back from the 10th-place Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot in the play-in tournament, the 21-year-old Atlanta native could still suit up down the line in 2022-23.</p><p>As of now, Kessler leads the league in field goal percentage at 72.0 percent, with his hands and size allowing him to be a terrific safety net around the rim. This skill doesn’t just allow him to be a highly efficient finisher though, as he also uses the traits to his advantage on the glass.</p><p>The 7-foot-1, 245-pound big man averages 8.4 rebounds per game, with 3.1 of them coming on the offensive end. For a team with a number of players that love to score around the rim, his ability to clean up after them has been a major reason that their offense has been surprisingly effective.</p><p>In fact, the Jazz have the ninth-best offensive rating in the league at 116.1 while holding the sixth-best scoring average (117.1).</p><p>Defensively, Utah is uninspiring as whole with them ranking 24th in both opponents points per game (117.8) and defensive rating (116.7). However, if they didn’t average the fourth-most blocks in the league (5.4), there might be no need to discuss their chances of reaching the play-in tournament.</p><p>Hopefully, Kessler can continue his rookie season past this week. If not though, at least the Jazz know that they have a highly valuable player on the roster. Perhaps even a franchise cornerstone.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz’s Walker Kessler dealt crushing injury update that ends impressive rookie campaign

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-walker-kessler-exits-game-nets-possible-season-ending-concussion');   ga('set', 'title', 'Prized rookie Walker Kessler exits Jazz’s game vs. Nets with possible season-ending concussion');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Prized-rookie-Walker-Kessler-exits-game-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Prized rookie Walker Kessler exits Jazz’s game vs. Nets with possible season-ending concussion</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-02T17:20:06-07:00">April 2nd, 5:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-02T17:20:06-07:00">April 2nd, 5:20pm</time><address><a>Quenton Albertie</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Leaving the second half of Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets with a head injury, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-walker-kessler-goes-nuclear-insane-stat-line-shaq" rel="noopener">Utah Jazz</a> rookie center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-utah-fans-go-nuts-over-walker-kesslers-game-winning-block-vs-celtics" rel="noopener">Walker Kessler</a> will be <a href="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1642634593919459328" rel="noopener">evaluated for a possible concussion</a> (h/t Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). With just four games remaining, that could spell the end of the big man’s season.</p><p>He had six points and eight rebounds — including four offensive rebounds — in 21 minutes before exiting the contest. It was his first game without a block since Feb. 10.</p><p>Kessler has been a revelation for the Jazz this season, which is what makes his potential absence so significance. Although Utah was expected to tank after trading away Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and most of their veterans from last season, the Jazz aren’t even out of playoff contention at 36-42.</p><p>However, while the improvement of Lauri Markkanen has been the primary factor in their success, one could argue that Kessler has been the singular most important player for Utah outside of the Finnish forward.</p><p>He averages 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 72.0 percent from the field, a superb interior force on both ends of the floor. In an era where a lot of centers have a guard skillset, Kessler keeps it simple, being the team’s safety net around the rim whether they’re on offense or defense.</p><p>Honestly, Kessler could already be the fourth best shot-blocker in franchise history behind former defensive star Mark Eaton, three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and three-time All-Defensive selection Andrei Kirilenko.</p><p>Thats what makes him so fascinating, let alone relevant.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Prized rookie Walker Kessler exits Jazz’s game vs. Nets with possible season-ending concussion

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-walker-kessler-goes-nuclear-insane-stat-line-shaq');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz rookie Walker Kessler goes nuclear for insane stat line not seen since Shaq');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Walker-Kessler-goes-nuclear-for-insane-stat-line-not-seen-since-prime-Shaq.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jazz rookie Walker Kessler goes nuclear for insane stat line not seen since Shaq</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-26T05:58:03-07:00">March 26th, 5:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-26T05:58:03-07:00">March 26th, 5:58am</time><address><a>R.P. Salao</a>ClutchPoints Senior Editor for NBA and NFL coverage. You can also find my work on SB Nation's Washington Wizards site, Bullets Forever.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Walker Kessler was mired in a little bit of an offensive slump over the last five games. The Utah Jazz rookie broke out of it in a big way Saturday.</p><p>The 21-year-old had averaged just 8.8 points per game over the last five before erupting for 31 points against the Sacramento Kings. The Auburn product dominated inside the paint against a Kings side lacking a true interior defender. He scored all 14 of his made baskets in the shaded lane <a href="https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/1639844754002255872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1639844754002255872%7Ctwgr%5E4134ed4334ffb9c3ddf6671825744c9bae50ed37%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php" rel="noopener">with several dunks and alley-oop finishes.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker. Kessler. Career. High. </p><p>31. Thirty. One. Points.  <a href="https://t.co/dqjjpsQHZx">pic.twitter.com/dqjjpsQHZx</a></p><p>— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/1639844754002255872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Known mainly for his defensive prowess, Walker Kessler looked more like an offensive juggernaut against the Kings in the vein of a 90s star center. Truly enough, his standout performance as a rookie hasn’t been seen since Shaq way back in the 1992-93 season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Kessler in the loss:</p><p>31 PTS<br>11 REB<br>2 AST<br>14-16 FG</p><p>First rookie to reach those number on 85+ FG% since Shaq. <a href="https://t.co/OnaikI4Xdw">pic.twitter.com/OnaikI4Xdw</a></p><p>— StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1639844541137076224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Jazz have fast-tracked their rebuild thanks to some savvy maneuvering from the front office, turning their middling previous core of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert into a team flush with youth and draft capital.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-lauri-markkanen-jordan-clarkson-injury-status-vs-kings-revealed" rel="noopener">While Lauri Markkanen’s ascension</a> has been the biggest boon for Utah, Walker Kessler’s emergence as a legitimate defensive force in the same vein as Rudy Gobert (on a rookie contract!) is arguably a clear second.</p><p>In Gobert’s nine seasons with the Jazz, the Frenchman only managed to eclipse the 30-point plateau once in over 600 games. He came into the league the same age as Kessler and was still very much a raw prospect. Walker has shown advanced polish after two college seasons and will only get better as he gains experience in a Jazz uniform.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz rookie Walker Kessler goes nuclear for insane stat line not seen since Shaq

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-utah-fans-go-nuts-over-walker-kesslers-game-winning-block-vs-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz fans go nuts over Walker Kessler’s game-winning block vs. Celtics');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Utah-fans-going-nuts-over-Walker-Kessler_s-game-winning-block-vs.-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Jazz fans go nuts over Walker Kessler’s game-winning block vs. Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-18T21:01:27-07:00">March 18th, 9:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-18T21:02:33-07:00">March 18th, 9:02pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz fans are in pure ecstasy right now after clinching a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-odds-celtics-vs-jazz-prediction-pick-how-to-watch-3-18-2023" rel="noopener">crucial win against the Boston Celtics</a> at home. And who wouldn’t be? Not only did the team improved their chances of qualifying for a Play-In spot, but they also absolutely entertained in a game capped off by a clutch block from rookie Walker Kessler.</p><p>With five seconds left in the game and the Jazz ahead by just one, 118-117, the Celtics had one last shot attempt for the win. Instead of going for Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, however, Malcolm Brogdon inbounded the ball to Grant Williams who then proceeded to try to play hero with the clock winding down.</p><p>Unfortunately for the Celtics, Williams <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1637294887090413568" rel="noopener">failed horribly</a> in his attempt, with Kessler manning the middle and ready to reject him.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Kessler with the CLUTCH block to seal the win for the Jazz over the Celtics 🚨<a href="https://t.co/2wXxS5xvMM">pic.twitter.com/2wXxS5xvMM</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1637294887090413568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Celtics really messed up that play, with Brogdon seemingly rushing it when Brown was just making a move. Whatever the case may be, Jazz fans are definitely happy with the result. Not to mention that their rookie big man–whom they got as part of the massive <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-the-rudy-gobert-blockbuster-jazz-timberwolves-trade" rel="noopener">trade package for Rudy Gobert</a>–stepped up big time and starred for the team when they needed it most.</p><p>“I am sure this has been mentioned but Walker Kessler is <a href="https://twitter.com/DLocke09/status/1637282739622928384" rel="noopener">fabulous tonight</a>. Absolutely fabulous,” Jazz radio voice David Locke tweeted.</p><p>“Jazz fans already know, but Walker Kessler is putting the league on notice,” another Twitter user said.</p><p>A third fan shared, “Walker Kessler is, no joke, Brook Lopez 2.0! Certainly his defense is up to par with what Brook is capable of…GW BLK’s.”</p><p>“Walker Kessler has been the most impactful rookie this season. It’s very staggering to observe,” a fourth supporter added.</p><p>Here are more reactions to Kessler’s clutch performance:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">WALKER KESSLER SAVES THE GAME WITH A BLOCK!! JAZZ BEAT THE BEST ROAD TEAM IN THE LEAGUE OFF A THT/LAURI SPECIAL 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/x5gTBJZzk4">pic.twitter.com/x5gTBJZzk4</a></p><p>— Jazz For 3  (@JazzForThree) <a href="https://twitter.com/JazzForThree/status/1637294856912650240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Kessler gets the game saving block on Grant Williams and the <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@utahjazz</a> down the <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@celtics</a> 118-117. </p><p>Jazz were down as many as 19 in the second quarter as Boston's disastrous stretch continues. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeNote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TakeNote</a> <a href="https://t.co/HXTRR9NNPd">pic.twitter.com/HXTRR9NNPd</a></p><p>— KSL Sports (@kslsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/kslsports/status/1637293739378098177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Wow! Walker Kessler Is the greatest basketball player of all time. Great day today on prizepicks and on sportsbooks! <a href="https://t.co/Dri22VQgVR">pic.twitter.com/Dri22VQgVR</a></p><p>— Dylan Games (@DylanMoney22) <a href="https://twitter.com/DylanMoney22/status/1637295769777766401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It was undoubtedly a play to remember for Walker Kessler. However, all of the Jazz also deserve credit for the win. The team trailed by as much as 19 points in the game, but they crawled their way back before Kessler sealed the deal.</p><p>The Jazz surely deserves to celebrate the win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz fans go nuts over Walker Kessler’s game-winning block vs. Celtics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-are-walker-kessler-and-jordan-clarkson-playing-vs-magic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jazz get mixed bag on Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson injury update vs. Magic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Jazz-news-Are-Walker-Kessler-and-Jordan-Clarkson-playing-vs-Magic.jpeg"></figure><h1>Jazz get mixed bag on Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson injury update vs. Magic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-09T14:11:59-08:00">March 9th, 2:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-09T14:11:22-08:00">March 9th, 2:11pm</time><address><a>Jesse Cinquini</a>23-year-old aspiring sports journalist. Associate NBA editor at ClutchPoints. Staff Writer at SB Nation's CelticsBlog and The Knicks Wall.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson and big man Walker Kessler missed <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-odds-jazz-vs-mavericks-prediction-pick-how-to-watch-3-7-2023" rel="noopener">Tuesday’s game</a> against the Dallas Mavericks. Clarkson sat out with a finger injury and Kessler with a non-covid illness. Unsurprisingly, without two of their best players, the Jazz lost to the Mavericks by a final score of 120-116. So when the Jazz visit the Amway Center on Thursday night to play <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/magic-news-paolo-banchero-speaks-out-on-key-goal-for-rookie-season" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero</a>, Franz Wagner, and the Orlando Magic, every Jazz fan will surely be dying to know: <b>Are Walker Kessler and Jordan Clarkson playing tonight vs. the Magic?</b></p><h2>Walker Kessler and Jordan Clarkson injury status vs. Magic</h2><p>The Jazz initially had both Kessler and Clarkson <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1633589266818433024?s=20" rel="noopener">listed as questionable</a> for Thursday’s showdown, per a tweet from The Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden. It was later revealed, however, that Clarkson would be <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1633944960620961792?s=20" rel="noopener">unable to play</a>. Kessler, on the other hand, was upgraded to available prior to tipoff.</p><p>Kessler, 21, has turned heads in his rookie season thanks to his impressive rebounding, shot-blocking, and interior scoring chops. He’s averaging 8.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game across 62 appearances this season (28 starts).</p><p>Meanwhile, Clarkson, 30, is in his ninth year in the NBA and fourth as a member of the Jazz organization. He’s averaging 20.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks this season.</p><p>Utah’s chances of stealing a win on the road against the Magic on Thursday largely hinge on whether Kessler and Clarkson play. After all, the Jazz have struggled to win games on the road all year, as they own an 11-22 road record. But with regard to the question, <b>Are Walker Kessler and Jordan Clarkson playing tonight vs. the Magic</b>, the answer is ‘no’ for Clarkson, but ‘yes’ for Kessler.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jazz get mixed bag on Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson injury update vs. Magic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-walker-kessler-forces-overtime-with-epic-last-second-swat-vs-thunder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Walker Kessler forces overtime with epic last-second swat vs. Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Jazz-Walker-Kessler.jpg"></figure><h1>Walker Kessler forces overtime with epic last-second swat vs. Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-02-23T20:47:06-08:00">February 23rd, 8:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-02-23T20:47:31-08:00">February 23rd, 8:47pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>A Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, Rex claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Utah Jazz needed it the most, Walker Kessler was there to stymie the Oklahoma City Thunder’s attack during <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-odds-thunder-vs-jazz-prediction-pick-how-to-watch-2-23-2023" rel="noopener">Thursday night’s showdown</a> between these teams in Salt Lake City. Kessler had a magnificent sequence for the Jazz late in regulation. He was the one who tied the game at 106-106 with a tip-in with only four seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CLUTCH TIP IN BY WALKER KESSLER.</p><p>Jazz-Thunder is tied with 0:04 to play!</p><p>WATCH: <a href="https://t.co/0rrSPxOHD0">https://t.co/0rrSPxOHD0</a> <a href="https://t.co/KncdefSl7o">pic.twitter.com/KncdefSl7o</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1628973355184406528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Then on the following play, Walker Kessler absolutely snuffed a layup attempt by Thunder’s Isaiah Joe to keep the score tied and send the game to overtime.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Kessler sends Jazz-Thunder to OT with this CLUTCH block 🤯</p><p>Watch: <a href="https://t.co/0rrSPxOHD0">https://t.co/0rrSPxOHD0</a> <a href="https://t.co/xPQAvAFYYS">pic.twitter.com/xPQAvAFYYS</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1628973911177146371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The crowd at Vivint Arena went wild after each play by Walker Kessler, who is viewed as one of the future cornerstones of the Jazz franchise.</p><p>The Jazz ended up winning the game, 120-119, with Kessler finishing with seven points, 18 rebounds, and seven blocks, none bigger than the one he clobbered at the expense of Joe, who will now have to think more than twice going forward whenever he plans to attack the lane against Kessler and the Jazz.</p><p>Kessler is fast becoming one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. He entered the Oklahoma City game averaging <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kesslwa01.html" rel="noopener">2.1 blocks per game</a>, and that should get a bump after swatting away all those shots against the Thunder.</p><p>Walker Kessler was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft before they traded him to the Jazz with TyTy Washington and Jake LaRavia.</p><p>The Jazz will look to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-4-bold-predictions-2023-nba-all-star-break" rel="noopener">win again</a> on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs at home.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Walker Kessler forces overtime with epic last-second swat vs. Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-news-walker-kessler-message-mike-conley');   ga('set', 'title', 'Walker Kessler’s rough night draws stern message from Mike Conley');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Jazz-news-Walker-Kessler_s-rough-night-draws-stern-message-from-Mike-Conley.jpeg"></figure><h1>Walker Kessler’s rough night draws stern message from Mike Conley</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-02-03T22:10:50-08:00">February 3rd, 10:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-02-03T22:11:54-08:00">February 3rd, 10:11pm</time><address><a>R.P. Salao</a>ClutchPoints Senior Editor for NBA and NFL coverage. You can also find my work on SB Nation's Washington Wizards site, Bullets Forever.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Walker Kessler has had so many breakout games already that seeing a stinker catches Utah Jazz fans off guard. Even Mike Conley Jr. admitted to it after the team’s 115-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.</p><p>Kessler was coming off monster numbers over his past two games. The Jazz center averaged 15.5 points on 14 of 17 shooting to go along with 12.5 rebounds and 6.0 blocks (!!) in two wins for Utah. He’s been one of the best rookies in the NBA this season, which is why his two-point, five-rebound dud against the Hawks was somewhat surprising.</p><p>Conley <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1621735186424791040" rel="noopener">spoke out</a> on the elevated expectations on Kessler’s shoulders, via Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune:</p><p>“We expect so much out of him that you forget that he’s a rookie, that he’s 21. You yell at him about something, and then you remember he just doesn’t know that.”</p><p>If anything, Jazz veterans getting on Walker Kessler for underperforming is a testament to both his talent and poise at such an embryonic point in his career. He’s just crossed the 50-game mark and hasn’t even started 20 games yet, but some are already pondering whether Kessler alone is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-rumors-utah-guard-ochai-agbaji-off-limits-in-trade-talks" rel="noopener">already worth the Rudy Gobert trade</a> – never mind the war chest of unprotected first-round picks that came with him.</p><p>With Lauri Markkanen being named to his first All-Star team and under contract for a few more years, the Jazz seemingly have their frontcourt tandem of the future. But for now, forgive Kessler for his occasional rookie season duds.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Walker Kessler’s rough night draws stern message from Mike Conley

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jazz-rumors-utah-guard-ochai-agbaji-off-limits-in-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: Jazz player not named Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler who’s also ‘off-limits’ in trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/nba-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Jazz player not named Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler who’s also ‘off-limits’ in trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-01-27T06:44:07-08:00">January 27th, 6:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-01-27T23:09:07-08:00">January 27th, 11:09pm</time><address><a href="https://muckrack.com/alex-sabri">Alex Sabri</a>Alex Sabri started as an Associate Editor for Cavs Nation and ClutchPoints in November 2022. He has over three years of collegiate and professional sports and local journalism experience.Though he covers a wide variety of sports and general assignments for ClutchPoints, he specializes in covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Central Division basketball, NFL football and Big Ten basketball and football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Utah Jazz guard Ochai Agbaji may have been <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-latest-nba-trade-winds?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=99187151&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">added to the list</a> of Jazz players that were “deemed off-limits” along with Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, the Stein Line’s Mark Stein wrote in a recent article.</p><p>“One trusted source, having read my recent item about Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler ranking as Utah’s only two players who have been deemed off-limits ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, advised me to add one more name to the list: Rookie swingman Ochai Agbaji,” wrote Stein.</p><p>The 22-year-old rookie guard is averaging 3.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game in 12.7 minutes per game for the Jazz this season, according to Basketball Reference. Agbaji has played in 28 regular season games since he was selected with the 14th-overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, including in 12-straight games during the month of January. The 6-foot-5-inch guard scored in double digits in three games of the streak, going as high as 19 points as he didn’t miss a single shot during an eight-point loss to the Chicago Bulls in the United Center.</p><p>There was a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-jazz-sellers-nba-trade-deadline-exception-2-players" rel="noopener">“rising belief leaguewide”</a> that the Jazz were “open to listening to trade pitches to anyone on the roster” with the exception of Markkanen and Kessler. Markkanen is averaging a career-high 24.8 points per game since he and Agbaji were included in the blockbuster trade that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-cleveland-acquires-donovan-mitchell-from-jazz-in-blockbuster-deal" rel="noopener">sent guard Donovan Mitchell</a> to the Cleveland Cavaliers.</p><p>Though he didn’t make the All-Star starters, Markkanen <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2023/01/2023-NBA-All-Star-Voting-West-Frontcourt-Results.pdf" rel="noopener">placed fifth</a> among Western Conference frontcourt players with the fourth-most player votes, the seventh-most fan votes and the fifth-most media votes.</p><p>Kessler, who was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, leads all NBA rookies with 91 blocks this season and owns the second-most rebounds behind Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, according to Basketball Reference. He racked up more than twice the amount of blocks that Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Jazz player not named Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler who’s also ‘off-limits’ in trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', '3 bold predictions for Walker Kessler in his rookie season with Jazz');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Jazz-Walker-Kessler.jpeg"></figure><h1>3 bold predictions for Walker Kessler in his rookie season with Jazz</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-10T10:11:03-07:00">July 10th, 10:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-10T10:11:03-07:00">July 10th, 10:11am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Walker Kessler has massive shoes to fill for the Utah Jazz. Not only was he one of the assets that got traded for Rudy Gobert but he is the defensive stalwart’s likely replacement.</p><p>Kessler, a rookie out of Auburn drafted with the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is joining a team whose defense relied heavily on Gobert. Although he was a fantastic interior defender in college, his ability to defend will be tested mightily. Not only will have to get used to better competition but he is joining a team whose defensive infrastructure around him is highly questionable.</p><p>The 7-foot-1 center had a major impact at the college level. As he helps usher in a new era in Utah, he could be a key player right away. Here are three bold predictions for Walker Kessler’s rookie season for the Jazz.</p><p><b><i>*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408">click for free trial</a>)*</i></b></p><h2>3 bold predictions for Walker Kessler in his rookie season with Jazz</h2><p><b>3. Kessler becomes the starting center all season</b></p><p>Although the Timberwolves drafted Kessler a week before news of the Gobert trade broke, it can be safe to suggest that Utah had an interest in Kessler. The Jazz traded their star big man to Minnesota and only got one center in return. They also have not signed a center in free agency.</p><p>The only other center currently on Utah’s <a href="https://www.nba.com/jazz/roster">roster</a> is Udoka Azubuike, who has played just 32 games in two seasons so far. Kessler, being younger and having more defensive potential, should be able to win out the starting spot. No addition in free agency, save for Deandre Ayton, would 100 percent jump Kessler on the depth chart right now.</p><p>The only reason Kessler doesn’t start is that Utah still tries to remain competitive. They are reluctant to trade Donovan Mitchell even though he is still <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jazz-news-utah-gm-drops-truth-bomb-on-donovan-mitchells-status/">not untouchable in trades</a>, so they may want a more experienced center alongside him.</p><p><b>2. Walker and Jalen Duren go neck-and-neck on the rookie double-double leaderboard</b></p><p>Walker seems like a likely pick to lead all rookies in double-doubles. Given his size, he should have plenty of 10-point, 10-rebound games. The one player who could challenge him the hardest is Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, who was drafted with the 13th overall pick.</p><p>Duren isn’t as big as Walker but is noticeably more mobile, which should give him an advantage on longer rebounds. At 6-foot-11, the soon-to-be-19-year-old big man has a strong motor and long arms that will make him a pest on the boards.</p><p>Chet Holmgren will most likely be a contender on the leaderboard but still has to put on some muscle before he can be a true board crasher. Walker and Duren should be strong rebounders from the get-go. So long as they get the opportunity to play all season long, they will be competing tightly on the double-double leaderboard for first-year players.</p><p><b>1. Kessler becomes one of the league leaders in field-goal percentage </b></p><p>The simple reason Kessler can have one of the highest field-goal percentages is that almost all his shots will be close to the hoop and/or assisted. Although this achievement may not be super impressive, it is something Kessler can do that will help the Jazz.</p><p>The Jazz can use Kessler just as they used Gobert: a constant screener and roller to the hoop. He has the touch around the rim to convert close shots that he can’t dunk. Though he isn’t exactly a post-up scoring machine, he was <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftDummies/status/1496339092832931844?s=20&amp;t=QDPSozQvtV3bJHqOKi-g-w">very efficient</a> around the hoop in college.</p><p>In all likelihood, Kessler will end up shooting somewhere in the 60-percent range on around six attempts per game. It may not make him one of the most entertaining rookies but it should allow him to cement a spot as Utah’s center of the future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.2	12.1	1.6	2.4	0.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.2	12.1	1.6	2.4	0.6

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