It was quickly and abundantly clear that the Utah Jazz had a contingency plan in case they traded Walker Kessler. Kessler was an important player, not to mention rare. That's why there isn't a player who can do what he can, but Utah instead opted to bring in players who can replace some of what he brought to the table in their own way.
It's a center-by-committee approach. The Jazz have loaded up on them because they bring some of what Kessler brought, depending on the matchup. None of them is as good as Kessler is in a vacuum, but they are good enough together to match up well with any opponent.
Their three center rotation is far from perfect, but Utah believes they can make it work with these three big men.
Jusuf Nurkic - Rebounding
The Jazz were quick to get Nurkic back and on a team-friendly price at that. Nurkic used to be a quality rim protector but Father Time has more or less taken that away. However, something he brings to the table that helps salvage Kessler's departure is rebounding.
Nurkic proved himself to be a double-double machine in Utah, averaging almost 11 points and 10.4 rebounds (2.6 of them on the offensive glass) in only 26.4 minutes a game. Kessler is one of the league's best rebounders, but Nurkic isn't too far behind him in that regard.
Utah was evidently impressed with how Nurkic fared as their de factor starting center that they re-signed him ASAP and more or less appointed him as their full-time starting five. As far as rebounding goes, Nurkic should replace much of what Kessler brought.
Jaxson Hayes - Rim Protection & Lob Threat
Kessler was both tall enough and athletic enough to finish lobs and get the block down low. Hayes isn't as good of a rim protector, but he is still a solid one for a player of his size. Averaging 0.8 blocks in just 18.3 minutes a game is not elite, but it still makes him a factor.
Hayes' athleticism should also play a factor in Utah's center rotation. He's more of a high-flyer than Kessler is, even if he's not quite as strong. As Utah's presumed back-up center, Hayes will definitely be more helpful when the Jazz are facing more athletic teams who can put pressure on the rim.
Mo Bamba - Dollar Store version of Kessler
In all fairness, Bamba won't provide much, but there's a reason why Utah brought him back instead of Kevin Love. Bamba is more youthful and more or less was supposed what Kessler turned out to be. He's a break glass in case of emergency type of player, but even so, the Jazz could have done worse.
There will be Jazz fans who probably would have preferred Kessler over this, which would make sense. This center rotation was assembled to try to fill in what the ex-Jazz center could do depending on the team Utah faces.
They also did this to prevent running JJJ at the 5
We will see is this approach works, and there's a solid chance it won't. If so, Utah still has options to upgrade from it if they want to. However, they didn't just do this to replace Kessler, but also to ensure that Jaren Jackson Jr. never plays any minutes at the five spot.
For as good as Jackson is, Memphis learned the hard way what happens when utilizing him as a five. His rebounding abilities are simply too lousy for that to be a dependable option. He is best as a power forward, as he will be able to both roam the perimeter and protect the paint.
It's a shame we won't see him and Kessler paired up, but the Jazz got ahead of that. They want to mitigate the potential damage that may come with trading him. We will see this approach does just that in due time.
Add us as a preferred source on Google