Jazz's Walker Kessler: Sits out Friday

Kessler (coach's decision) went unused off the bench in Friday's 126-118 loss to the Raptors.

Though the Jazz made Kessler active for the contest, the third-year center unexpectedly ceded his spot in the top unit to Kyle Filipowski after starting in each of his first 50 appearances of the season. Utah ended up choosing to hold Kessler out for the game, and head coach Will Hardy also limited playing time for other key regulars such as Lauri Markkanen (19 minutes) and Collin Sexton (20 minutes). At this point in the season, the 15-52 Jazz have shown no hesitation about putting non-competitive lineups on the floor as they look to improve their odds in the draft lottery, so Kessler could be subject to more absences over the next month even though he's ostensibly healthy.