Rookie Fit Preview: How Walker Kessler Fits with the Utah Jazz
While the Utah Jazz weren’t overly active on draft night, they will enter the season with two shiny new rookies: Walker Kessler and Johnny Juzang.
With star Rudy Gobert shipped off for a bundle of picks, and Kessler, there could be minutes up for grabs for the rookies.
The Rookie Class
Walker Kessler (Center | No. 22 Overall)
A fine-framed, traditional-style 7-footer with a knack for interior defense and the ability to score when called upon. He unfortunately missed Summer League with a lingering toe injury.
Johnny Juzang (Guard | Undrafted)
Potentially the most raw prospect in the draft, Eason has some work to do refining his game, but could be one of the most talented players in the class.
Roles and Opportunities
There a few teams with a murkier outlook than the Utah Jazz in 2022-23. After shipping off Gobert, it’s clear in their current form the Jazz won’t be contending, but where they fall within losing remains to be seen.
With Donovan Mitchell still on the roster, the Jazz won’t be a bottom feeder. But should they move any more win-now assets out, things are pointing in that direction.
Regardless, Kessler will likely fill a small part of the void left by Gobert. Udoka Azubuike and 33-year-old Hassan Whiteside are the only other centers on the roster, and unless the team is going to flip the script completely, Kessler should be in line for some legitimate minutes.
Juzang will have a much harder time cracking lineups, and will need to really shine in order to see productive minutes in his early years. He was a bright light for UCLA, but unless Utah offloads some of its guard depth, he’ll be hard-pressed to crack the rotation.
Projections
Kessler is a fine pickup for Utah, but there’s a reason they wanted an unprecedented five selections in the Gobert trade.
Kessler is more of an accent piece. He’s not going to wow and stuff the stat sheet, except potentially with blocks, but he can fill his role well. For that reason, it’s unlikely he’ll leave his debut season with any accolades.
But if the cards fall right, he can be a solid piece for Utah moving forward into a new era.
Juzang showed flashes of stardom in college, especially in his last UCLA run. If he can tap into those same high-points and find his groove in the NBA, he could become a solid, perennial spark plug.
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