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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
Kessler closed Friday's 118-109 loss to the Raptors with 18 points (8-11 FG, 2-7 FT), 25 rebounds and eight blocks over 33 minutes.
Kessler became only the sixth player in NBA history to record at least 15 points, 25 rebounds and eight blocks in a single game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal and Dikembe Mutombo in a prestigious list. That doesn't mean Kessler will have a career like theirs, but his impact whenever he's been healthy and available has been massive for this rebuilding Jazz team. Kessler reached the 18-point mark for the seventh time this season, but the 25 boards and eight blocks were career-high marks for him.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Set to play against Toronto
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Kessler (rest) isn't on the injury report for Friday's game versus the Raptors.
Kessler will return to action Friday after sitting out Utah's previous contest for rest purposes. The 23-year-old center should reclaim his starting spot from Kyle Filipowski. Kessler is averaging 13.5 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.1 assists in 32.8 minutes across his last 10 outings.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Won't play against Washington
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Kessler (rest) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Wizards, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
After coming one rebound shy of a double-double in Monday's loss to the Pistons, Kessler will not be available for Wednesday's game in Washington. The Jazz will likely turn to Kyle Filipowski to shoulder the load in the frontcourt.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Game-winning dunk Friday
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Kessler supplied nine points (4-7 FG, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal across 26 minutes during Friday's 117-116 victory over Minnesota.
Kessler wasn't able to record a second-straight double-double Friday, but his final field goal was the go-ahead dunk that ended up being the winning basket for the Jazz. Most of Kessler's fantasy value comes in rebounding and blocks, but the 2022 first-round pick has had solid scoring games despite a low amount of field-goal attempts, as evidenced by his 25-point performance against the Kings on Wednesday when he converted all 10 of his field-goal attempts. Over his last 10 outings, Kessler has averaged 12.2 points on 71.6 percent shooting, 14.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals over 33.3 minutes per game.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Available to play
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Kessler (illness) has been upgraded to available for Wednesday's game against the Kings.
Kessler, who was originally questionable, will be returning from a one-game absence. With John Collins (back) and Lauri Markkanen (back) both sidelined, Kessler could see a healthy workload.
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Jazz's Walker Kessler: Questionable to play Wednesday
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Kessler (illness) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Kings, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Kessler was unable to play in Monday's loss to the Trail Blazers due to an illness, but the third-year center has a chance to return Wednesday. The 2022 first-round pick has averaged 11.9 points, 15.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 blocks over 34.1 minutes per game while shooting 72.4 percent from the field since the beginning of February.
