Jazz's Walker Kessler: Expected to play in Summer League
Rotowire
The Jazz plan to have Kessler (nose) participate in the 2024 NBA Summer League, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
After a nice rookie season in 2022-23 in which Kessler started his final 34 appearances, he was selected in the early-to-mid rounds of most fantasy leagues this season. Managers who did so were disappointed. The center's points (8.1) and rebounds (7.5) per game decreased, as did his field-goal percentage (65.4). He also started just 22 games and crossed the 30-minute threshold only eight times. While the Jazz also had interest in developing other bigs like John Collins and Taylor Hendricks, plus giving minutes to Kelly Olynyk before trading him to Toronto, Kessler's role gave the impression that he wasn't impressing coach Will Hardy. The organization seems to believe it would be best for Kessler to get more development minutes this summer.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Ruled out for Sunday
Rotowire
Kessler (nose) will not play Sunday against the Warriors.
Kessler will end up missing the final six games of the campaign. After a breakout rookie season in 2022-23, Kessler couldn't really build on that momentum in 2023-24. He finished the season with averages of 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 23.3 minutes across 64 appearances.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play Friday
Rotowire
Kessler (nose) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Clippers, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler continues to deal with a nasal fracture and will be unavailable for a fifth consecutive matchup. His final chance to return during the regular season will be Sunday against Golden State.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Another absence coming
Rotowire
Kessler (nose) is out for Thursday's game versus the Rockets, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.
Kessler will miss his fourth straight contest Thursday due to a nasal fracture. Omer Yurtseven should receive another start in his absence.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Ruled out for Tuesday
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Kessler (nose) won't play Tuesday against the Nuggets, Ben Anderson of KSL News Salt Lake City reports.
Kessler will miss his third straight contest since suffering a broken nose. Omer Yurtseven should be in line for another start at center with John Collins (back) also out.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Not playing vs. Warriors
Rotowire
Kessler (nose) is out for Sunday's game against the Warriors, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler suffered a nasal fracture in Tuesday's 129-113 loss to the Cavaliers and will miss his second straight contest. With top center John Collins (back) also out for a fourth straight game, third-stringer Omer Yurtseven is expected to draw another start.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Ruled out for Friday
Rotowire
Kessler (nose) won't play Friday against the Clippers, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler suffered a nasal fracture in Tuesday's 129-113 loss to the Cavaliers, and the Jazz will continue to monitor him closely for swelling and inflammation. For now, Kessler can be considered questionable for Sunday's game against the Warriors. In the meantime, Omer Yurtseven could step into a larger role as the Jazz's starting center with John Collins (back) also sidelined.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Out for remainder of game
Rotowire
Kessler won't return to Tuesday's game versus the Cavaliers due to a nasal fracture. He will end the contest with six points (3-3 FG), one assist and one block in nine minutes.
Kessler left Tuesday's contest with 5:22 remaining in the second quarter after being hit in the face and has been ruled out for the remainder of the game. In his absence, Omer Yurtseven will likely receive increased playing time. Kessler's next chance to suit up is Friday's matchup with the Clippers, though if he's cleared to play, he'll likely have to wear some kind of mask to protect his nose from further damage.
Kessler will start during Sunday's game against the Kings, David Locke of Locked on Podcast reports.
Kessler will return to the starting lineup due to John Collins (back) being out of the lineup. The 22-year-old pro is averaging 9.0 points, 10.0 rebounds 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.0 minutes per game over his last three starts.
Kessler is not in the starting lineup to face the Rockets on Saturday, Lachard Binkley of TheDreamShake.com reports.
Kessler will head back to the bench since John Collins (face) is available and will recover his regular starting spot at center. Kessler is averaging 7.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game since the All-Star break.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Just misses double-double in start
Rotowire
Kessler chipped in 14 points (7-7 FG), nine rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes during Thursday's 113-97 loss to the Mavericks.
John Collins (face) sat out the contest, giving Kessler a chance to move into the starting lineup. Kessler performed well in making all seven of his field-goal attempts and leading Utah with nine boards, though he failed to record a block for the first time in his past 29 games. The big man has come off the bench for the majority of the campaign but still ranks second in the NBA with 2.5 swats per contest.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Joins starting lineup
Rotowire
Kessler will join the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Mavericks.
John Collins (head) is being held out for the second leg of this back-to-back set, so this is an expected move for Kessler. As a starter this season, Kessler holds averages of 8.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
Jazz's Walker Kessler: Top rebounder off bench in loss
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Kessler closed Monday's 114-104 loss to Minnesota with six points (2-3 FG, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists and one block in 28 minutes.
Kessler returned to the bench in Monday's defeat, leading all players in rebounds while adding a half-dozen points to provide a spark off the bench. Kessler has grabbed 14 or more boards in three games this season, surpassing the double-digit mark in three of his last five outings.
