Utah Jazz rookie Walker Kessler ed some elite company on Monday afternoon. The big man had career-highs of 20 points and 21 rebounds in the 126-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Per Jazz beat writer Dan Clayton, it was the first 20-20 performance by a rookie since 2014. Only three other players have accomplished that feat in NBA history (Tim Duncan, Dejuan Blair and Gorgui Dieng).
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Walker Kessler’s Historic MLK Day Performance
The Timberwolves initially acquired Kessler in an NBA Draft night trade. Two weeks later, he was sent to Utah as part of the deal sending Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves.
Kessler has been inserted into Utah’s starting lineup in place of the injured Kelly Olynyk for the past four games. He has averaged 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and three blocks over that span. Kessler is averaging 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds on the year and has gotten increasingly better as the season has progressed.
“I expect a lot from him. And that’s because I believe he can get so much better and has a lot to offer. At this point in time, he would probably describe me as a complete pain in his ass,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said of Kessler last week, per the Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden.
The transition from Utah to Minnesota hasn’t gone as smoothly for Rudy Gobert, who was questionable for the Monday game with groin soreness. He ended up getting the start against his former team but was pulled after just five minutes with the injury.
Gobert is currently averaging 13.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game as the Timberwolves (22-23) look to make a move in the Western Conference. There is certainly some concern regarding the Gobert injury going forward.
Walker Kessler certainly showed the T-Wolves what they were missing on Monday, while the Utah Jazz might have a budding star on their hands.
