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Jalen Duren, Mark Williams and Walker Kessler have been overshadowed by other NBA rookies but all three look like home run picks. What have we seen so far?
Just three centers were selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. And while none of them are in the Rookie of the Year conversation, all three appear to have been extremely solid picks.
Kessler was the last center drafted in the first round, selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then sent to the Utah Jazz and as part of the Rudy Gobert deal. He was a prolific shot-blocker and hyper-efficient finisher in college but there were big questions about how well those skills would translate to the NBA, driven by touch, size and timing rather than elite athletic tools.
So far, Kessler has held up remarkably well. He’s a regular fixture in the Jazz rotation, averaging 6.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in just under 20 minutes per game, while shooting 70.3 percent from the floor.
Kessler has had plenty of opportunities to show his chops as a rim protector and opponents are shooting 11.7 percentage points worse than expected on shots within six feet of the basket when he’s the closest defender. That’s one of the best marks in the league among players who average at least 5.0 such shots defended per game and on par with elite defensive bigs like Jaren Jackson Jr., Nic Claxton and Kristaps Porzingis.
Just three centers were selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. And while none of them are in the Rookie of the Year conversation, all three appear to have been extremely solid picks.
Here’s what we’ve seen so far from the latest crop of NBA rookie bigs:
Walker Kessler, Utah JazzKessler was the last center drafted in the first round, selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then sent to the Utah Jazz and as part of the Rudy Gobert deal. He was a prolific shot-blocker and hyper-efficient finisher in college but there were big questions about how well those skills would translate to the NBA, driven by touch, size and timing rather than elite athletic tools.
So far, Kessler has held up remarkably well. He’s a regular fixture in the Jazz rotation, averaging 6.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in just under 20 minutes per game, while shooting 70.3 percent from the floor.
Kessler has had plenty of opportunities to show his chops as a rim protector and opponents are shooting 11.7 percentage points worse than expected on shots within six feet of the basket when he’s the closest defender. That’s one of the best marks in the league among players who average at least 5.0 such shots defended per game and on par with elite defensive bigs like Jaren Jackson Jr., Nic Claxton and Kristaps Porzingis.