The Utah Jazz are in the midst of a tanking season, sitting dead last in the Western Conference with a 15-48 record, which bodes well for their chances of landing the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. The wins and losses don’t tend to matter as much when you’re chasing lottery balls, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t exciting moments worth mentioning during the regular season.
Friday night was the perfect example of that. The Jazz lost to the also tanking Toronto Raptors, 118-109, but Utah big man Walker Kessler had the stat line of the night — and of the last 31 years — by putting up 18 points, 25 rebounds and eight blocks.
Yes, you read that right, I didn’t accidentally mix up the point and rebound total. Kessler really did grab five boards shy of a 30-piece, and was just two blocks away from a supremely unique triple-double. It’s a stat line so unique that only five other players in league history have put up at least those numbers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo and Elvin Hayes. Olajuwon was the last one to accomplish it in 1994.
Kessler’s numbers are even more impressive because he put them up in fewer minutes than any of the other players in that list, logging just 33 minutes. Mutombo, Abdul-Jabbar, Hayes and Olajuwon all played 40-plus minutes to get to those minimums.
Kessler has ranked in the top five in blocks per game in each of his three NBA seasons, and he ranks fifth in the league in rebounds per game this season, averaging a career high 12.1 per night. He leads the league in offensive boards per game (4.7), nearly doubling his production from the season prior.
Since being drafted 22nd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, Kessler has become one of the league’s top rebounders and rim protectors. He’s anchored Utah’s defense — though that hasn’t meant too much given they still rank last in the league on that end. But the Jazz are better defensively when Kessler’s on the floor, and he’s a building block for the future. As Utah continues to progress, his defensive impact will be felt more when he’s not having to overcompensate for the other defensive weaknesses on the court.
Friday night’s performance against the Raptors might not have ended in a win, but Kessler’s performance put him in rare air.
