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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz broke their post-practice huddle in a different fashion: They singled out a player.
"(Coach Will Hardy) said, 'Walk on three!' I didn't really like that," Walker Kessler said with his customary smile.
The reason: Kessler had just been named into the player pool of the Rising Stars event during All-Star Weekend. Kessler is one of 11 rookies to make the pool, which is also made up of 10 second-year NBA players and a team of of G League players.
"It's a dope accomplishment for him," said Jordan Clarkson, who played in the event in 2016 as a young Los Angeles Lakers player. "Coming into the league, it's something to cherish, enjoy being part of All-Star weekend. He's been playing at a high level, it's a great accomplishment."
Utah now knows it will have at least one player representing the team when it hosts the star-studded weekend, though, more should be on their way; Lauri Markkanen is expected to be named an All-Star reserve on Thursday. Mike Conley has also been invited to play in the Skills Competition on All-Star Saturday night, though, he has not yet accepted the invite.
"I'm, obviously, super thankful," Kessler said. "I'm thankful to my teammates and coaching staff; I wouldn't be able to do it without them. Very, very excited. Very, very thankful. Very blessed. I'm gonna keep rambling, so I better stop. But I'm very thankful."
Kessler has averaged 7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks this season, but has really shined since becoming a permanent part of the starting lineup nine games ago. Since then, he's averaged 11.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks — a stretch that included a 20-point and 21-rebound performance.
He's soared up rookie rankings and now has the third-best odds to win Rookie of the Year. So, yeah, being called a rising star feels accurate.
"At the beginning of the year, this year was just about learning as much as I could and absorbing as much info going forward," Kessler said. "And then I just wanted to impact winning anyway I can so I just tried to win. And I'm a firm believer that if you pride yourself on just doing whatever you can to win, the rest of it kind of takes care of itself."
When it comes to winning, a lot of advanced stats say he's done more than any other rookie. He's the best in the class in FiveThirtyEight's RAPTOR, ESPN's PER, and most catch-all metrics. For the less number inclined crowd, the Jazz are 9-6 in games Kessler has started.
It's a heartwarming story for a player who was taken with the 22nd pick and one who couldn't seem to find a home. He was drafted by Memphis and then immediately flipped to Minnesota. A week later, he was off to Utah as part of the Rudy Gobert trade.
There was much made about the return the Jazz got for Gobert — Kessler's name, however, was rarely a centerpoint. It is now.
To him, Tuesday's announcement was just further proof of something he already believed in: Things happen for a reason.
"It's funny how everything works out like that. I mean, the fact that I'm gonna be in the city where I play. ... I'm going to be representing them and I'm super, super excited," Kessler said. "I wouldn't want to represent any other city."
Tickets for the Rising Stars event are still available with the current cheapest ticket price at $60. The event will feature a three-game mini-tournament among four teams composed of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League Players.
"I give credit to my teammates and coaching staff, but the city of Salt Lake City and the fan base has been unbelievable," Kessler said. "I mean, they show up to every game, no matter when it is. I mean, they're crazy. I love them; they're unbelievable and they're a big, big part of our program."
Rising Stars player pool
Rookies:
- Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
- Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
- AJ Griffin, Atlanta Hawks
- Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
- Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz
- Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers
- Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
- Andrew Nembhard, Indiana Pacers
- Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets
- Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs
- Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Sophomores:
- Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans
- Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors
- Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
- Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks
- Bones Hyland, Denver Nuggets
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
- Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
G League:
- Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite
- Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
- Mojave King, G League Ignite
- Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Hustle
- Mac McClung, Deleware Blue Coats
- Leonard Miller, G League Ignite
- Scotty Pippen Jr., South Bay Lakers
