Kessler has one skill that he is good at. Shot blocking. And when I say good, I mean that he is a non-debatable, magical, historically great shot blocker. Kessler is 245 pounds of length. His huge frame gives him opportunities that most players don’t have. He has impressive foot movement, which allows him to get to the right spots at the right time. He is the second best shot blocker in college basketball, not only because of his long arms. It takes legit talent to block as many shots as he does. He has big, strong hands and isn’t afraid of anyone. He has excellent timing, and is very patient. If there has been any prospect that I actually thought might be the next Gobert, Walker Kessler is the one. He’s also a great rebounder. He works hard on both sides of the floor. He is pretty fast for his size, and gets up and down the court. His rim protection is amazing. The only knock on defense is his strength. He can get toppled over pretty easily. He is capable on offense around the rim. He gets putbacks, dunks, and hook shots, but doesn’t shoot with much range. He has actually shown that he can hit threes when he needs to. However, he can’t be relied on from beyond the arc. For a few reasons, his offensive ceiling isn’t super high. His passing is questionable at best. He averages less than an assist per game and his hands get shaky at times. If there is one thing that I hope you got from this, it’s that Walker Kessler is the best shot blocker in this draft. However, he doesn’t have all of the fundamental skills that I’d like to see.

Comparison: Rudy Gobert Lite

Projected Draft Range: 30-60

Height 7'1

Weight 245 lbs

Wingspan 7'6

DOB 7/26/01 (Draft Age: 21)

Pre-Draft Team Auburn Tigers

Offense

• Makes every shot he takes inside the arc. 75 2p%

• Great offensive rebounder.

• Always a lob threat.

• Plays with a chip on his shoulder.

Defense

• Probably the best shot blocker in the country.

• A potential defensive anchor.

• Foot speed isn't great the further he gets away from the hoop.

• Huge rebounder.

Swing Factors

Role

• LOW:

• HIGH:

Player analysis

Walker Kessler is a massive shot blocker who has a very rudimentary game, he doesn’t do much besides blocking and he hasn’t developed a complex offensive game quite yet. Kessler is 7’1 with a 7’5 wingspan and he combines his length with mobility extremely well in order to be an effective interior defender, his footwork and timing are impeccable and he had the best block rate in college basketball since Anthony Davis last season as a sophomore. Walker is a great lob threat and moves quickly for a 7’1 big but is still a bit slow footed, he can catch the ball around the rim very well and creates second chance points through offensive rebounds and putbacks. Kessler has previously displayed the ability to shoot from three but still only shot under 20% which is relatively atrocious, his shot technique has potential and he was hitting at a decent clip in high school but clearly needs improvement if he wants to be league average. Walker has unique hands, he recorded very thin hands at the combine with his width being bottom three out of those recorded which is insane especially because he’s a center. His limitations in his hands are another testament to how his timing is perfect when it comes to interior defense, any team interested in adding a high level shot blocker with shooting potential should definitely draft him.

Projection

Draft range: [ 22 - 34 ]

Comp: [ Brook Lopez ]

Strengths: Shotblocking and Lob Threat Weaknesses: Switchability and Offensive Upside

High Side Comp: Brook Lopez/Jakob Poetl Low Side Comp: Ivica Zubac

Ideal Fit: Drop Center and Lob Threat

Draft Range: 15-55

Result: 22- MIN

Athleticism: 4/10 Size: 5/5 Defense: 9/10 Strength: 3/5 Quickness: 4/10 Creation: 1/5 Jumpshot: 2/10 Finishing: 5/5 NBA Ready:3/5 Ball Handling: 3/10 Passing: 3/10 Intangibles: 2/5 Potential: 7/10 TOTAL: 51= Second Round

Walker Kessler is a talented big. He’s a shot blocking machine and plays very fundamental. He’s very slow footed and has minimum athleticism.

Celling: Hall of Fame/ Diekete Mutombo

Floor: Star/ Chris Bosh

He is a great blocker He will have to develop a three point shot to stay in the league He is to slow at best he can play 8 minutes off the bench with no three He can hit a three give him 13 mins

His feet are very slow I dont see him able to go on the permiter

Best Blocker in the class. By Far. If you want rim defense draft this dude. He can become a lob threat though he doesn't have the most offensive potential. Should have a decent inside game in the NBA. Borderline first-round pick.

NBA comp: Rudy Gobert or Clint Capela

Ceiling: Rudy Gobert or Clint Capela

Floor: Center that hangs around in the league but doesn't get very many minutes.

Measured 7'1" in shoes with a 7'4" wingspan and intimidating 9'5" standing reach. Posted nearly 5 blocks per game and, while not the most fleet of foot, displayed surprising mobility for his size. Projects more as a situational backup center to be used against more traditional bigs. Has shown he's comfortable stepping out and taking threes when given the space, although the percentage leaves much to be desired.

Has a functional hook coming across the paint, but otherwise lacks any kind of offensive self creation (81% of attempts came within 4 feet). Can cover surprising amounts of space in a straight line, but lack of lateral movement likely limits him to guarding 5's and playing drop coverage at the next level. Sub 60% shooting from the line indicate that his the three point shooting aspirations may be misguided.