Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Standing at 7-feet tall and already one of the NBA's best rim protectors, it's hard to imagine Walker Kessler ever being little in anything.
It's not hard for him to remember, though.
You know the quick wit, dry sense of humor, and playful self-deprecating remarks Kessler has become known for since arriving in Utah. All those can be linked back to his time growing up as the youngest of three kids in an athletic and competitive family.
His brother, Houston, went on to play collegiately at Georgia, and his sister, Lilly, was a volleyball player at LSU. With Houston seven years older than him, and Lilly five years older, competition between siblings was sometimes more about survival than anything else for the young Walker.
And he figured out a way to do just that.
"I think being the youngest son can do that too. Getting picked on you got to learn how to make quick comebacks and stuff like that; you gotta figure it out," Kessler told KSL.com. "Because when you're young, you can't fight back physically; you have to verbally fight back."
He got pretty good at it, too. When he said some silly stuff, he realized people would laugh. It's easier to survive a wrestling match with your older brother if he's chuckling. It got to the point where Kessler's parents started writing down some of the fun comments their youngest would say. They dubbed them "Walkerisms" and had a special notebook dedicated to his quips.
When he was 8 years old, his grandparents sent him a birthday card through the mail with $10 inside. After receiving the letter, Kessler strutted around the house all "big time" — to use his own words — and so his parents asked who had sent him the card.
They knew who it was from; he knew who it was from. That didn't stop the dad joke from coming out.
"Ummm, the mailman!'" Kessler said.
It's groan worthy, yes, but it's also disarming.
He has also yet to grow out of it.
The immediate reaction for just about anyone when they are asked about Kessler is a wide smile — and maybe a little shake of the head. He's been described by teammates as a real-life character from "The Office." Multiple teammates have lovingly called his jokes lame, and one even went as far as to describe his unique sense of humor as "super stupid" — yet, he was chucking as he said it.
Kessler's latest fan? LA Clippers coach Ty Lue, who was one of Kessler's USA coaches during the FIBA World Cup cycle last summer. When Kessler's name was mentioned during Lue's pregame media sessions earlier this week, his face immediately brightened.
"All the guys loved him," Lue said. "When he got in the game, the whole bench and everybody was cheering for him. He is a great person."
He then started to chuckle and added: "I like Walk. He's a funny dude."
Kessler would fit in with any locker room, without question, but his current situation seems to be tailor-made for him. He's got a coach in Will Hardy who has a similar — if not as extreme — dry sense of humor, and one that believes that playing in the NBA is something to be enjoyed. That has helped create an environment for Kessler to truly thrive.
"I think the coach's ideology that you're supposed to have fun is extremely important," Kessler said. "I think that at the end of the day it is a game, and I think that I play my best basketball when I'm trying to have fun, but more than that trying to win. At the end of the day, what's more fun than winning?"
That thought can also be linked back to his childhood days. It was being an undersized little brother that forged the desire to always win — if only because it didn't happen all that often.
"Because you're younger, you just gain this drive that you just hate to lose. You hone in on winning and you just love that feeling," Kessler said.
Last season, Kessler did something rarely done by an NBA rookie: He actually contributed to winning games. He led the league in field goal percentage, he was a top five rim protector and if the advanced stats (which are far from infallible) had their say, he would have been the NBA Rookie of the Year.
That's all to say, the Jazz were better when Kessler was on the court.
"I'm not like a volume scorer taking 20 shots a game, I just tried to affect the game and winning in every way possible," Kessler said.
He's hopeful he'll be able to impact the game even more in the future. Kessler doesn't want to stagnate in Year 2 in the league. Yes, he had a great rookie campaign, but what's next? Where can he take the next steps?
Kessler said the obvious thing is to be able to stretch the floor at least a little bit more. The Jazz opened up their second preseason game with a Kessler corner 3-point attempt; will that be more than a gimmick going forward? He also wants to be a better defender in space and on switches — something the Jazz need for their defense to take the next step.
Then there's this lofty aspiration:
"Who's to say you can't expand your game to be able to make plays?" Kessler said. "This day and age, so many bigs — Jokic, Sabonis — are passing bigs that can really get guys open. Obviously, I've got a lot to learn, but why not strive for that?"
That would make things just that much more fun.
