Nineteen games might not seem like many, but it could be just enough for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler to make a final run at the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
The NBA announced Thursday that Kessler has been named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played during February. The league also announced the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero had been named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the third consecutive month.
Banchero is currently leading the Rookie of the Year race and would probably be most people’s choice for the award if the season ended today. But Kessler is not far behind and continues to make a really good case for himself. It would take a really strong push from Kessler and probably a bit of a drop from Banchero and the Magic, but crazier things have happened.
In the month of February, Kessler averaged 10.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game while being the only rookie to average a double-double. His 3.2 blocks per game ranks second among all NBA players for the last month. With just 60 NBA games under his belt, Kessler ranks fourth in the NBA in total blocks this season.
But, in addition to his staggering stats, Kessler’s teammates have to continually remind themselves that he is a rookie because of how skilled he is and how quickly he adapts. He spends a ton of time watching film and wanting to get better.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy is consistently impressed with Kessler and on top of all of it his personality has won over fans in incredibly short order.
He’s humble and prone to self-deprecating humor, he’s funny and kind and trying to make the most out of every day in the NBA and he has a very endearing nature. He’s hard on himself after losses and allows himself to celebrate the good moments.
The odds are that the No. 1 overall draft pick, Banchero, is going to end up with Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season. But as the saying goes, it ain’t over till it’s over, and Kessler, despite being the 22nd overall pick and traded to Utah as a part of the Rudy Gobert deal, is right in the mix.