Former North Carolina and Auburn standout Walker Kessler had a very impressive first year in the NBA. The Utah Jazz rookie made history as the regular season came to a close.
Kessler finished the year averaging 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He shot 72% from the field. He is the first player in NBA history to finish a season with that stat line.
Kessler was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves but was involved in the big trade with Utah that sent Rudy Gobert to Minnesota.
Walker Kessler this season:
9.2 PPG
8.4 RPG
2.3 BPG
72.0 FG%First player in NBA history to reach those numbers in a season. pic.twitter.com/j4l0lzTBrl
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 10, 2023
He played in 74 games this past season and as the year went on, developed into a good big man for Utah. With the Jazz in rebuild mode by shipping off Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, Utah is looking for pieces to build around in and Kessler appears to be one of them.
The former five-star recruit played one season at North Carolina before transferring to Auburn for one year and then declaring for the NBA draft.
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