12/15/2023 0 Comments Utah jazz starting lineup 2023“We made the decision to go with more of a switching group on that end. “We did not want to play drop (coverage) against Dame anymore,” Hardy said. So, five days after the loss to the Nets, Kessler was benched for the entirety of the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers as Damian Lillard finished the night with 60 points. It’s the right mentality and right approach, but Hardy does not believe in giving out what he calls “free minutes.” When players make the same mistake multiple times in a single game, when they aren’t playing with the right type of force, when there is a matchup that they are not ready to handle, he will sit them on the bench and let them watch the game to try to learn rather than allowing them to continue to make the same mistakes over. But you take it, learn from it and apply it to your next game or next matchup.” “So, there’s a lot of times going back on the film (where I think) I should have done this, could have done this, but you’ve just got to - it’s over with. “At this level, detail is everything - like one step higher, maybe one more jab,” Kessler said. But after seeing some film the next day, he realized that it’s those small moments that will end up making the biggest differences down the road if he’s able to absorb his failures and learn from them. He was frustrated in the locker room after the game. Kessler needed to use his length to his advantage and he didn’t. On that play, Kessler felt like he was close enough to Irving, but with the great scorers of the league, you have to come off screen a little higher and put more pressure on them. Irving would go on to finish the night with 48 points and the Nets won. Hardy called a timeout and gave Kessler quite the verbal lashing. Kyrie Irving was having an incredible night and when he got a screen that switched Kessler onto him, he shot a fadeaway 3-pointer that gave him 45 points. 20, the Jazz were trailing by three points with less than two minutes left to play. The growth and adaptability of Lauri Markkanen and Walker KesslerĪgainst the Brooklyn Nets on Jan.Should Walker Kessler be calling out defensive coverages?.Walker Kessler’s hilarious history with soccer.He knows that there is still a lot to learn and a lot of growth that needs to happen. He doesn’t want to become a player who acts like they have everything figured out. Though he feels like he’s accomplished a lot in the few short months that he’s been in the NBA, Kessler is trying his best to maintain a level head. So the Jazz coaching staff moved Jarred Vanderbilt to the bench and kept Kessler in the starting unit. When Kelly Olynyk returned to the lineup from a sprained ankle, Jazz coach Will Hardy decided it was time to give Kessler a larger role. It was the first 20-20 performance by a rookie in the NBA since 2014. That night Kessler became the first rookie in Jazz history to log a 20-20 performance with 20 points, 21 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. 16, Kessler started for the 10th time in his young NBA career, and to that point, all of his starts had been because of an injury to someone else in the regular starting lineup. But that hopeful timeline was accelerated when, very early in the season, it became clear that Kessler was going to be deserving of the starting job, sooner rather than later. The hope was that Kessler could eventually become a legitimate starting center over time. The Jazz knew that they were getting a good player in Kessler when he was included in the deal that sent Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves over the summer. I’m gonna keep rambling, so I better stop.” “I’m very, very excited, very, very thankful, very blessed. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” Kessler said. “I’m just thankful, super thankful to my teammates and coaching staff. The annual showcase, featuring a mini-tournament with four teams (one team of G League players, three teams composed of rookies and second-year players) and three games, will air live at 7 p.m. On Tuesday the NBA announced that Kessler was one of 11 NBA rookies selected to be a part of the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend. His 10 double-doubles is tied for most among all rookies. His 96 blocks rank fifth in the NBA and first among rookies. The Jazz rookie is averaging 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game. It’s coach’s decision, and at the end of the day that’s what he thinks is best.” - Walker Kessler on earning a starting role You know, I appreciate coach trusting me with the role, but I don’t really feel prideful in that. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily a point of pride.
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