Walker Kessler is a keeper for the Utah Jazz. That's been well-established. It's why any trade rumors where his name popped up were downright laughable since the season began.
Kessler started out the season and he has added more and more reason for the Jazz to be excited about what's to come from him. Granted, how he's played this season is how they envisioned he would have played last season, but even if it was delayed, Kessler has taken that next step.
He's also been one of the main reasons why the Jazz's tanking efforts have been easier to swallow, and that showed itself in a pitch-perfect way during the Jazz's losing efforts against the Raptors. Though the Jazz didn't get the win, Kessler showed out in a big way.
Against Toronto, Kessler put up 18 points, 25 rebounds, and eight blocks. He dominated in the best way he knows he can.
It only gets better. The statline Kessler put up has only been done by one other player in NBA history, and that other player just so happens to be an NBA legend.
Walker Kessler becomes the second player in the steals & blocks era and the first since Moses Malone in 1983 to collect 13+ offensive rebounds and block 8+ shots in a single game pic.twitter.com/7fla9rG8eR
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) March 8, 2025
Fun fact: Malone played for the ABA team, the Utah Stars, from 1974 to 1975 (technically not part of the Jazz's franchise history, which makes it all the more fun of a fact).
More exciting fact: Malone was one of the very best players in NBA history, and one of his calling cards was how he dominated on the boards, particularly on the offensive end. Does that sound familiar? It should be for anyone familiar with how Kessler thrives on offense.
Kessler is proof that the Jazz's upcoming glorious era is "when" not "if"
While rebuilds can be tantalizing because they promise young talent and a bright future, risks are always involved. Getting the highest pick in the draft doesn't automatically mean a team's future will be great for the next decade. Even if a franchise gets a superstar, there's always the risk of not building around that superstar correctly, which can lead to him jumping ship soon enough.
The Jazz don't have that superstar yet, but in Kessler alone, they have the infrastructure of a winner. This season, he's proven how much ground he covers as a rim protector and rebounder. While it's not the main ingredient of a contender, it's something a contender can't thrive without.
No one is saying that Kessler is the next Moses Malone because setting the bar that (ridiculously) high when the Jazz haven't even reached the playoffs with the former on the team isn't fair to him. However, Kessler has not only gotten his promising career back on track, but his ceiling is becoming increasingly ambiguous—in a good way.
The Jazz need so much to go right for this rebuild to turn into something special. It's not that Kessler shouldn't play a role in that.
It's that he will.