Jazz center Walker Kessler will likely miss the rest of the regular season after entering the league’s concussion protocol, a source tells ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).
The 21-year-old sustained the injury when he was inadvertently elbowed by teammate Talen Horton-Tucker as Horton-Tucker drove to the basket, causing Kessler to fall backward. The play occurred during the third quarter of Utah’s loss at Brooklyn on Sunday.
Kessler, the No. 22 overall pick of the 2022 draft, has been one of the league’s best rookies in 2022/23. He leads the NBA in field goal percentage (72.0%), is second in block percentage (8.5%), fourth in blocks per game (2.3), and is second among rookies in rebounds per game (8.4) while also chipping in 9.2 points per game in 74 contests (23.0 minutes).
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports doesn’t expect Peyton Watson to be in the Nuggets‘ playoff rotation, but the young wing has shown in the last two games that he’s a terrific athlete with plenty of defensive upside, compiling 13 rebounds and five blocks over 47 minutes against Phoenix and Golden State. Watson, the No. 30 overall pick last year, has spent most of the season with Denver’s G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, but Wind writes that people within the organization believe the rookie could make All-Defensive teams in the future.
- For his part, Watson says he’s not taking his opportunity for granted and believes he’s ready to contribute, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. “This is a big responsibility that coach is trusting me with,” the Nuggets rookie said. “I’m grateful for it all and I’m going to continue to work. I’m not satisfied.”
- Due to the Rose Rule language included in his rookie scale extension, Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant would earn a projected $233,160,000 if he makes an All-NBA team again this season, compared to $194,300,000 if he doesn’t. Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commericial Appeal takes a look at Morant’s chances of making one of the three All-NBA teams, writing that the star’s eight-game suspension shouldn’t be held against him from a merit standpoint, as he has already appeared in more games than last season. However, Morant faces stiffer competition with so many guards having strong seasons, and if he does make it, which is far from a lock, he might be the sixth and final guard selected, according to Giannotto.
- Timberwolves power forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns has seen his status downgraded to questionable ahead of Minnesota’s next contest, Tuesday against the Nets, the team announced (Twitter link). Towns just recently returned to the club’s lineup after a four-month absence due to a Grade 3 calf strain.
Alex Kirschenbaum contributed to this report.
KAT is injured again?? Yikes.
eek!
Meow
There is a lot of noise around Ja not being on an All NBA team…
Same rules apply to those spots as the MVP for a lot of voters… Do something detrimental to the team that also comes with a suspension and it’s going to cost votes…
That said it would be a good thing for the Grizzlies to lock down a player who could get a super max on a cheaper deal…
You might even argue that the team planned the whole thing, leaving them more money to spend. Meanwhile they make up that difference in cash with Ja and a little sweetener under the table behind closed doors, if ya know what I mean. It takes a team to win. Worth silver taking a look…
Just how KAT got that baby cow out onto the court and let the animal get strained has not yet been disclosed.