After playing in a limited role during his freshman season at North Carolina, [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] elected to transfer to Auburn, where he became one of the most dominant players in College Basketball.
Every stat improved for Kessler during the 2021-22 season. He went from playing eight minutes a game for the Tar Heels, to averaging 25 minutes per contest during his sophomore campaign. He went on to score 11 points and pull down eight rebounds per game for Auburn, but he was also a threat at blocking shots. His 7-foot-1 frame allowed him to swat 155 balls this season, for an average of 4.5 blocks per game.
Auburn head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] discussed Kessler during a segment on the local radio show “Sportscall” on Tiger 95.9 on Tuesday, where he said that Kessler was one of the reasons that the Tigers reached the No.1 ranking during the season.
“As we worked our way towards being No. 1 in the country, and through the month of January and early February, Walker was the most dominant player in college basketball,” said Pearl. “He was on the floor with the best player ([autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag]), but the most dominant player was actually Walker, because of the way he protected the rim.”
Because he was limited during his time at North Carolina, he lacked confidence coming into Auburn. Not only in his ability, but fitting into the pace of play that Auburn exhibits.
“I was going to ask him to switch some things: guarding guards, blitz a ball-screen, ice it and keep it aside, put him in a situation where he was going to be attacked by guards,” says Pearl when discussing Kessler. “Walker himself was not sure if he was fast enough, or quick enough to play the pace of Auburn basketball. I never doubted it, not for a second.”
The latest mock draft from Rookie Wire has Kessler being selected 18th overall by the Chicago Bulls. Cody Taylor of Rookie Wire says that Keesler could fill the needs that the Bulls have in the front court.
“We seem to be higher on Kessler than the consensus, but the fit with the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the Bulls looks strong. He measured in with a 7-foot-4 wingspan at the draft combine and added about nine pounds from his playing weight at Auburn. Chicago needs some depth in the frontcourt and Kessler fits a lot of needs for the team heading into next season. It will be interesting to see if the Bulls go for need here or the best available player.”
To listen to entire interview with Bruce Pearl, click here. The NBA Draft will take place Thursday, June 23.
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