Walker Kessler shares emotional message after beating former Jazz team appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Lakers rallied all the way back from a huge deficit in the first half against the Utah Jazz on Sunday to pick up their third consecutive win to start the season. It was an emotional game as well as new Lakers big man Walker Kessler was making his return as an opponent against his former team after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Jazz.
After getting off to a blistering start to the season, earning heavy praise from the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Walker Kessler’s third game with the Lakers was bit more subdued against his old teammates. Kessler finished with only two points while taking only two shots in 28 minutes against the Jazz. Following the game, he admitted that the emotions of being back in Utah played a factor in his performance, as per Dan Woike of The Athletic.
“I think going into the game I let my emotions get the best of me,” Kessler said. “But you got to learn in those moments and move on.”
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Kessler also added seven rebounds and one blocked shot against the Jazz. The Lakers gave up quite a bit in the sign-and-trade with the Jazz to acquire their new big man. They sent the Jazz two unprotected first-round picks for 2031 and 2033 as well as two pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. The former North Carolina and Auburn standout was given a four-year contract worth around $130 million.
And through the first two games, Kessler was looking every bit worth his new deal. He opened the season with a 26-point, 9-rebound performance in a win against the Golden State Warriors in which he shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the field. He followed that up with a well-rounded stat line of 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and six blocked shots in a win against the Clippers.
The 25-year-old is fully healthy after being limited to only five games last season due to a shoulder injury. In the days leading up to the start of the regular season, Lakers head coach JJ Redick acknowledged that Kessler is being asked to do certain things on the court that he has not yet had to do.
If he continues to turn in this kind of production, he will be worth every penny the Lakers spent on him. And he has another big test coming up as the Lakers face off against the Portland Trail Blazers and rising young big man Donovan Clingan at home on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
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