Is Walker Kessler the most disappointing player on the Utah Jazz this season?

In a new video by YouTuber SROS, the Utah Jazz's big man Walker Kessler is labeled the most disappointing player of the season for the squad. It's a statement that can be seen as fair, to a degree. He's certainly among the contenders. We all thought he'd take a huge leap this season and break out, or be on the verge of breaking out.

His field goal percentage from year to year is down but that may be more on Will Hardy for not only limiting his touches but demanding he take more and more three-pointers; a skill he doesn't have. So it's not surprising he went from 72% last season to 65.4% this season. It's also not a surprise he went from 9.2 points per game to 8.1 points per game.

He's shooting less this season, on top of playing in fewer games. So looking at him offensively, yeah, he would look like someone who has regressed and disappointed. Though, Kessler isn't here because of his offense.

Kessler's defense is his calling card. His defensive box plus-minus is nearly the same from last season (1.5 to 1.3), and his advanced defensive metrics actually show an improvement. If you check out this DARKO page, you'll see that his progression from the start of his rookie year to this year has improved greatly and while he doesn't have as many highs as his rookie year, he's far more consistent this season.

He has a CraftedDPM of 89, which is a great score. Is he on Rudy Gobert's level, yet? No, Gobertt's CratedDPM is 100, he's the best defensive center in the NBA, but Kessler isn't there just yet. Yet, his advanced stats say he's as good, if not better this year on defense as opposed to last season, and the only reason he isn't playing more is because Will Hardy is limiting his usage.

Now, Kessler's injured and unlikely to come back to the team this season. So it's fair to say that if the thing you're known for, in Kessler's case defense, is as good, if not better than the year before, you aren't a disappointment.

At least, not the biggest disappointment. He may have let a few people down but there are far bigger disappointments on this team this season, looking at you Jordan Clarkson.