Kessler (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Timberwolves.
Kessler entered concussion protocols April 3, and it will end up sidelining him for the Jazz's final five games of the regular season. Oscar Tshiebwe and Kyle Filipowski will serve as Utah's primary big men for Sunday's regular-season finale in Walker's absence. The third-year big man out of Auburn put up solid numbers for the Jazz this season. Still, injuries and reconditioning caused him to miss 17 of the Jazz's 33 games since Jan. 1. With Utah failing to qualify for the postseason, Kessler will finish the 2024-25 regular season averaging 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game across 58 outings.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play vs. OKC
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Kessler (concussion) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Thunder.
Kessler is still dealing with a concussion, which will keep him sidelined for the fourth straight game Friday. It remains uncertain whether he'll return to the floor for the regular-season finale against the Timberwolves on Sunday. In the meantime, the Jazz will likely turn to Kyle Filipowski, who is coming off arguably the best game of his career, finishing with 30 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three steals in a win over the Trail Blazers.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play Wednesday
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Kessler (nose/concussion) is out for Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers.
A nasal fracture and concussion will keep Kessler from playing Wednesday. With two games left on the 2024-25 calendar for the rebuilding Jazz, it wouldn't be shocking if Kessler has made his final appearance this season. Kyle Filipowski has averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 28.7 minutes over his last nine outings as starter, and he should continue to fill in for Kessler at center against Portland.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Another absence coming
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Kessler (nose/concussion) is out for Sunday's game versus the Hawks.
Kessler will miss his second straight contest Sunday due to a nasal fracture and being in concussion protocol. Kessler's next chance to suit up is Wednesday's matchup with Portland.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play against Indiana
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Kessler is out for Friday's game versus the Pacers due to a nasal fracture and concussion protocol.
Kessler logged 28 minutes in his return to action Wednesday but will sit out Friday's contest due to being in concussion protocol and a nasal fracture. KJ Martin and Kyle Filipowski will likely receive increased playing time in his absence. Kessler's next chance to suit up is Sunday's matchup with Atlanta.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Double-double in Wednesday's return
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Kessler amassed 11 points (5-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-5 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals over 28 minutes during Wednesday's 143-105 loss to the Rockets.
After sitting out the last two games for conditioning reasons, Kessler looked fit as he recorded his 28th double-double of the season. The Jazz are after draft lottery odds and not wins, so Kessler is likely to continue getting rested over the final weeks of the regular season, but he's remained productive when in the lineup. Over 16 appearances since the All-Star break, the 23-year-old center is averaging 10.3 points, 13.2 boards, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 assists while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Good to go Wednesday
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Kessler (conditioning) will be available for Wednesday's game against Houston.
Kessler will be welcomed back to the frontcourt after a two-game absence. The Jazz have been extremely cautious with their key role players, so more maintenance days could be in Kessler's future. He appeared in only 11 of Utah's 17 March contests, averaging 9.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 28.4 minutes per game.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Iffy against Houston
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Kessler (conditioning) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game versus the Rockets.
Kessler is in danger of missing his third straight contest Wednesday as he works his way back into game shape. If Kessler is forced to sit out yet again, Kyle Filipowski will likely draw another start.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Remaining out for Monday
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Kessler has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Hornets due to return to competition reconditioning.
Kessler will miss his second consecutive contest while the club works him back to playing form after missing Friday's loss to Denver due to an illness. The big man's next chance to play will come Wednesday against the Rockets. Kyle Filipowski and Oscar Tshiebwe will likely continue to receive an uptick in playing time due to Kessler being sidelined.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Sitting out Friday
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Kessler (illness) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Nuggets, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
The star big man will have a few days to recover from the illness, with his next chance to play coming Monday against the Nuggets. In Kessler's absence Friday, the Jazz will likely tun to Kyle Filipowski and Oscar Tshiebwe to cover the available center minutes.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Questionable for Friday
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Kessler is listed as questionable for Friday's game against Denver due to an illness, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler is in jeopardy of missing Friday's contest after appearing in each of the Jazz's last seven games. If Kessler is sidelined against the Nuggets, Kyle Filipowski and Oscar Tshiebwe would likely handle nearly all the available minutes at center.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Muted performance in loss
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Kessler supplied two points (1-3 FG), nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal across 26 minutes during Thursday's 121-110 loss to Houston.
Kessler has been held to single-digit points in his last six appearances. Although he's been ice-cold offensively with a 34.7 percent mark from the field in that span, his rebounding (9.8 boards) and shot-blocking (2.0 blocks) have continued to be positives.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Strong in paint in defeat
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Kessler supplied seven points (3-12 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 0-4 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists and three blocks over 31 minutes during Sunday's 120-91 loss to the Cavaliers.
Kessler put together a strong outing in the paint Sunday, tallying a team-high trio of blocks while hauling in a team-high-tying rebound mark in a balanced performance. Kessler has tallied at least 10 rebounds with three or more blocks on 19 occasions this season, doing so in two of his last four outings.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Grabs 11 rebounds in loss
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Kessler ended with eight points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 11 rebounds, six assists and one block across 29 minutes during Friday's 121-99 loss to the Celtics.
Kessler lost the battle under the basket against Kristaps Porzingis, but he did manage to record one more rebound over his opponent. The Auburn product has posted some explosive totals during his third season with Utah, and he's recorded 26 double-doubles over 54 games. It's a vast improvement over a disappointing sophomore season where he failed to meet expectations. His health has been a concern, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Kessler's minutes decrease as the Jazz run out the clock on a lost season.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Available against Washington
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Kessler (rest) will play Wednesday against the Wizards.
Kessler was originally ruled out for Wednesday, but the Jazz have upgraded his status to available -- Lauri Markkanen's (personal) absence may have factored into the decision. In his most recent outing against the Bulls, Kessler had seven points (3-11 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 12 rebounds, three blocks and one assist over 31 minutes.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play against Washington
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Kessler is out for Wednesday's game versus the Wizards due to rest purposes, Ben Anderson of KSL News Salt Lake City reports.
Kessler will sit out Wednesday's contest despite not suffering any injuries. In his absence, Kyle Filipowski and Micah Potter will likely receive increased playing time. Kessler's next chance to suit up is Friday's matchup with Boston.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Swats three shots in defeat
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Kessler recorded seven points (3-11 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 12 rebounds, three blocks and one assist over 31 minutes during Monday's 111-97 loss to the Bulls.
Kessler led the club in blocks Monday, marking his 36th outing with multiple swats across 52 regular-season appearances. Additionally, the 23-year-old racked up a game-best 12 rebounds and has logged double-digit boards in nine of his last 10 appearances. However, the big man struggled from the field, and over his past two games, he has shot 1-for-11 from beyond the arc. Kessler had attempted only six triples on the season before that two-game span.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Returns with big double-double
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Kessler finished with 15 points (6-15 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and 19 rebounds across 31 minutes during Sunday's 128-102 loss to the Timberwolves.
After curiously being unused in Friday's game against Toronto, Kessler made an immediate impact on the glass in his return Sunday while posting his 27th double-double of the season. The 2022 first-rounder should remain an elite source of swats and boards along with a high field-goal percentage for fantasy managers in category-based settings down the stretch, although it's unknown how much the rebuilding Jazz may opt to limit Kessler in the final month of the regular season. Kessler has averaged 12.9 points, 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 30.7 minutes while shooting 68.5 percent from the field across his last nine contests.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Starting Sunday vs. Minnesota
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Kessler is in the Jazz's starting five against the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Despite not being on the injury report, Kessler was a healthy scratch for Friday's loss to the Raptors, but he'll reenter the starting five in place of Kyle Filipowski. Kessler has averaged 12.9 points, 14.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.8 blocks over 32.4 minutes per game since the beginning of February.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Sits out Friday
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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.
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