Walker Kessler has been a great story for the Utah Jazz, all things considered. His rise into becoming one of the NBA's best two-way centers, even if he's not a scorer per se, makes him a building him block for their future. Making it even better is that by pairing him with Jaren Jackson Jr., the Jazz finally gave Kessler the defensive partner-in-crime he's been desperate for all these years.
The Jazz's defense has consistently been among the NBA's worst. One may get the wrong idea that such a problem proves Kessler's not as good a defender as some would think, but really, the issue is that Utah's defense has been that putrid despite his effort, as he is just one man after all.
But with Jackson, a player about to enter his prime who won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year only three years ago, makes it not only so that he and Kessler form one of the league's very best defensive combos, but Kessler will also be able to pay close attention to his bread and butter while Jackson can roam on the perimeter.
Utah will benefit so much from having one on the court at all times
It's hard to pinpoint the plus defenders the Jazz have had since acquiring Kessler, but part of that has been their efforts to try to be bad over the last few years. With JJJ and Kessler, they will have a game-changer defender in their frontcourt from start to finish.
Jackson is pretty adaptable to any role, so while he can defend on the perimeter, he is also a rim protector when his teams ask him to be. When Kessler sits, JJJ will take his role. When Kessler comes back in, he'll be the rim protector. When they're together, good luck scoring on them.
Utah has not only missed that fromt he Rudy Gobert days, but also didn't really pair him with another top-notch defender. In the early days with Gobert, they did a pretty good job surrounding him with good defensive talent to form an elite defense, but when they realized they lacked an offensive punch around Donovan Mitchell, they got rid of the defensive personnel in favor of more offensive.
This time, Utah will have multiple two-way big men who can affect so much on the court. It will take more than just them, but they finally have a defensive foundation.
The last piece is re-signing Kessler
Everyone knows we're headed for a staring contest between Kessler and the Jazz this summer. The Jazz have the advantage because they can match any offer for him, but it's likely he'll drag this out. Even so, the Jazz organization is already talking as though this pairing will be on the floor next season.
They understand what's to come next season, regardless of the price. Acquiring JJJ granted Lauri Markkanen's wish because all he wanted was a playoff team around him. Kessler wanted the same, but more than that, he wanted someone who could take a little heat off him on defense.
If and when Kessler re-signs with Utah, the Jazz finally gave him the upgrade he's desperately craved for the last four years. There's bound to be some growing pains, but there's too much to like for this pairing to go wrong.