Walker Kessler evolving as a facilitator for the Jazz

Earlier in the week, Walker Kessler said he’d been watching how Jusuf Nurkic had been playing, that he’d had the ball in his hands quite a bit and was being used as a facilitator in off-ball actions.

Kessler’s understanding was that the Utah Jazz’s offensive schemes weren’t going to change much once he was cleared from injury to play.

Well, the Jazz closed out the preseason on a high note on Thursday night with a 132-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, and Kessler, who’s been dealing with a left shoulder injury, made his preseason debut. Once the game was over, his mention of being used to move the ball seemed almost prophetic.

“We’re urging Walker to involve himself a little bit more in the offense and we are using him as a facilitator in a bunch of moments when we’re playing off the ball,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said.

“This is part of Walker’s evolution. There’s going to be some good moments along the way, and there’s going to be some tough ones, but we are trying to put him in those situations a little bit more.”

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The assist leader for the Jazz on Thursday wasn’t starting point guard Keyonte George (2), it wasn’t backup point guard Walter Clayton Jr. (5) or even Lauri Markkanen (5).

Kessler finished with a game-high eight assists, which put him incredibly close to a triple-double when added to his 14 points and 10 rebounds — and that was in just three quarters of action as Kessler rested throughout the final period.

“I’m just continuing to...I wouldn’t say not care, but just don’t be afraid to throw those passes,” Kessler said. “Tonight, you know, it worked out, and it was fun. I enjoy making plays, and that was a lot of fun.”

There are always opportunities for centers to get some assists on dribble-handoff plays, especially when they’re playing with quick shooters like Markkanen, but Kessler is opening up his game to include looking for backdoor cutters, slashers, guys who are popping out to the corner and even lobbing passes over the top of the defense.

“I feel like in practice I see Walk all the time, I’ve seen the passing,” George said of his teammate, “so it’s just about it coming out in the game, and I think he’s actually, like, trusting his work now, for sure — being confident in his his passing.”

Though the Jazz’s preseason slate is over — Thursday’s win being the only victory of their four-game preseason schedule — they have five days off before the regular season begins.

Hardy and the coaching staff have looked at the entirety of the preseason schedule as an extended training camp, which means there are many more practice days ahead for the players before the 82-game grind begins.

The Jazz will open up the 2025-26 season at the Delta Center next Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. MST.