Auburn In The NBA: Walker Kessler had a career night against the team that traded him

Walker Kessler had revenge in mind while dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Author:
Andrew Stefaniak
Publish date:
Jan 17, 2023 8:00 AM EST

In this story:

After being a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves for only a few days, a blockbuster trade sent Walker Kessler and multiple other T-Wolves players over to the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert.

The Timberwolves front office has to be fuming after watching Kessler put up monster numbers on their home floor in front of their fans.

Now Gobert didn't get to show what he could do in this game, as he left with an injury after only playing five minutes, but that does not take away from the absurd numbers Kessler put up.

Kessler had 20 points, 21 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in the 126-125 victory over the Timberwolves.

Kessler is the first rookie in Jazz franchise history to have a 20-point/20-rebound game. These numbers also haven't been achieved by a rookie in the NBA since 2014.

He is currently fourth in the NBA in blocks per game, averaging two.

The Jazz traded away Gobert and Donovan Mitchell as they planned to start a rebuild, but the outstanding play from Lauri Markkanen and Kessler have the Jazz at 23-24 on the year and in contention for a playoff spot.

It looks like the Jazz won the trade with the Timberwolves as they secured Kessler. The rookie from Auburn has proven over his first 45 games that there is a bright future ahead.

Kessler will develop into a star in this league over the years thanks to his elite defense and ability to score around the rim. This will be a joy for Auburn fans to sit back and watch.