Will Hardy is apparently pushing Walker Kessler to shoot more threes

The Utah Jazz seem to want Walker Kessler to shoot more threes.

Walker Kessler came into his rookie year in 2022-2023 like a bad Miley Cyrus song (a wrecking ball). He was swatting players with the same regularity as a resident of the southern US during mosquito season. Only, it wasn’t Kessler who was getting bit, but anyone who came into the paint looking to challenge the then-20-year-old rookie.

Now Kessler is heading into his second season in the NBA with elite defensive aspirations around him. Talks of him possibly making the first or second All-Defensive team have been discussed to a great degree and there remain even some more who believe those goals are too small. They believe Kessler could even be in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

And while all that seems like a tremendous amount of expectation to put on Kessler’s young shoulders, the coaches with the Utah Jazz have even more they want to see from Kessler; namely hitting three-point shots.

Sarah Todd tweeted on Friday that Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy wanted Kessler to shoot more from beyond the arc, threatening to fine him if he keeps passing out of open looks.

Kessler took just three shots from beyond the line last year, going 1-3 on the year. That was across 74 games last year. In five games this preseason, he’s already shot four shots from the three-point line. So clearly the onus is to try and get Kessler his shots from three and see if he can be a more dynamic scorer.

And that’s where things get interesting; if he can develop a reliable three-point shot, on top of the skills he carries already, he may end up being one of the Jazz’s best players of all time. He just has to do everything he can to develop that shot.