NBA team can ascend higher by giving ex-Auburn star bigger role

The Utah Jazz are in a rebuilding phase. While they have plenty of legitimate NBA talent, the key to building for the future is to develop new stars that can carry the team into the future. Right now Auburn basketball great and former Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Walker Kessler should be that player.

Kessler was the absolute steal of the Rudy Gobert trade for the Jazz last season, immediately showing his identity as a defensive force in his first season. With his impressive rookie year, it is time for Utah to focus on making him a big part of their offense as well.

If the Utah Jazz pull the trigger on a bigger role for Kessler, they can have a new long-term franchise face.

Former Auburn basketball star Walker Kessler is nearly a complete package already

Kessler is already the complete package on the defensive end of the floor. His ability to rebound and defend makes him a player you need on the floor. If the Utah Jazz invest in expanding his offensive game, they can have a player who will be looked at as a top big man in the NBA and a complete package overall.

In the world of business, you always have to plan for the future and the Jazz have the future staring at them right in the face. Kessler could make the entire NBA world turn into believers with a back-to-the-basket game and expanded range.

The former UNC product didn’t fit in at Chapel Hill and only got to experience a sliver of success on the Plains before pursuing his NBA dream. But in Utah, he has already fit in, occupying the role Gobert did more effectively than the Frenchman may be capable of any longer.

It’s Kessler’s time to rise, and in Salt Lake City, it’s only a matter of time.