It turns out that there is already an idiom that perfectly describes Walker Kessler‘s second NBA season — a sophomore slump. That was, of course, after his wowing rookie season that took the league by surprise.
So, coming into his third season, it was a real will he? or won’t he? situation. If he was going to prove that his rookie campaign was not an anomaly, that instead it was the 2023-24 year that was a fluke mixed with some growing pains, then he was going to have to have a really convincingly successful 2024-25 season.
Well, I’ve got great news — Kessler rebounded better than anyone could have imagined (pun intended).
Walker Kessler — A
There are five things that stood out for Kessler this season and all of them were positive.
- Mentally, he entered the season determined and dedicated to approaching the game differently. He said he realized after his second season that he was not playing joyfully, was not playing with gratitude and that he reached out for help from therapists and sports physiologists. Ultimately he ended up going easier on himself when he made mistakes and was just playing for the love of the game again.
- The shift in how he handled losses, bad nights, mistakes, and the overall situation with the Jazz was drastically different. He still struggles sometimes to maintain a level of positivity but knowing that he’s working on it is impressive by itself. Also, there were moments during the season where it seemed that Kessler just had a level of understanding about the care and effort needed in games and the way that players should respond to their own performances that a number of the younger players on the team lack.
- Statistically, Kessler led the league in offensive rebounds per game, was fifth overall in rebounds per game, second in blocks per game (behind only Victor Wembanyama) and tied for 22nd for double-doubles notched for the season. He averaged a double-double of 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, with a 70.6% 2-point field goal percentage. The glaring issue is that his free-throw percentage remains abysmal (52%) and is even worse than it was last season. So, there’s an area for improvement and the reason we won’t give him an A+.
- One of the main reasons that Kessler had such success rebounding and playing better around the rim was that he came into the season obviously much stronger than he was previously. And he used it. He was more forceful in the post, fought harder for boxouts and positioning, was harder to move off his spot and still maintained his speed as a rim runner. The level of physicality that Kessler played with this season is maybe the most impressive part of his overall performance.
- In addition to his own individual improvements, he was also a better player on the court with John Collins than the previous season. This was not an insignificant factor in Collins having a more successful year and learning to adapt and play differently and alongside another big gives the Jazz a ton of versatility with Kessler moving forward.
But worrying about makes and misses, efficiency and technique was not really what the Jazz were concerned with. Honestly, if he’d been knocking down 3s at a respectable level, he probably would have been benched in order to serve the tank.
Instead, Hardy wanted Kessler to get the feel of when and where shots would be available to him and when the right time was to take them. Over the offseason, they’ll address some more technical stuff, and becoming an efficient shooter will likely take some time. The fact that he went into it knowing that it probably wouldn’t be great right away, but still was fearless and accepting of the process, is another example of his mental fortitude this season.
