The Utah Jazz would like to know what has been up with Walker Kessler?

Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz is off to a slow start.

Walker Kessler has been underwhelming to start this season, to say the least. “Skywalker” has been more “Sky-crawling” to the tune of 5.7 points 5.7 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in his first three games. Minutes are down and field goal percentage is drastically down. Granted, we all love seeing Kelly Olynyk do his thing and he definitely is, it’s surprising that Walker’s minutes haven’t increased.

He’s also been tasked with shooting more threes this season (1.3 of his 5 field goal attempts right now). Personally, I feel the luxury of having Kelly is so that you can have HIM do that, but there are also growing pains on fit with John Collins that the Utah Jazz are adjusting to.

His defense is better than the 0.7 blocks suggest but he’s committing silly fouls that are ruining his rhythm. His first game of 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block vs Domantas Sabonis and the Kings was acceptable. A high-octane team with one of the best bigs in the game, Kessler didn’t dominate but wasn’t torched either.

He attempted zero threes and shot 4/5 from the field. 7 points and 4 rebounds against the Clippers felt lackluster with zero defensive stats, but a win and no fouls or turnovers was a welcome sight. His most recent game was his poorest performance yet with 2 points and 5 rebounds against the Suns going 1/4 from the field. 3 turnovers and 3 fouls added to the messiness.

His accuracy decreasing with more threes attempted each game is to be expected, but it will be interesting how big of a focus that will be for Walker this year. Domantas Sabonis, Ivica Zubac, and Jusuf Nurkic are all respectable bigs possessing greater strength and skill than Kessler, but these are matchups he must become accustomed to before his expected sophomore surge becomes a sophomore slump.

All that being said, it’s early in the journey. Both Collin’s fit and his three-point accuracy should dial in as the team progresses which will help Walker feel more comfortable. Any summer fatigue he might have will shake off and then we can all look forward to seeing “Skywalker” ascend again in his sophomore campaign.