Were Walker Kessler's 3-pointers a gimmick or something more?


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KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Walker Kessler attempted two successful 3-pointers in the Jazz's game against Phoenix.
  • Coach Will Hardy sees potential in Kessler's versatility but remains cautious about overemphasizing 3-point shooting.
  • Kessler aims to expand his game without compromising his strengths as a rim threat.

SALT LAKE CITY — Before Friday's game, Walker Kessler hadn't attempted a 3-pointer all season. So, naturally, the Utah Jazz started its loss to Phoenix by drawing up a play to get him a look from the corner.

When the shot went in, head coach Will Hardy decided he might as well try it again. And just like that Kessler was 2-of-2 from 3-point range on the season.

So why the odd start to the game?

"Because I'm sucking up to him," Hardy said in jest.

It was a return to last season's small experiment that saw the Jazz space Kessler in the corner, which led to him attempting 19 long-range shots (he made just four).

It's an easy shot to get, at least right now. Opposing defenses are, frankly, not going to be worried about Kessler as a shooting threat, especially if that pulls a rim protector out of the paint. So Kessler is going to be left open.

In that sense, it could be a true weapon — if he can consistently knock the shot down.

Kessler didn't do that at a high enough clip last season for it to seriously be used; even on Friday, it seemed more like a gimmick. After the two opening plays, Kessler didn't head to the corner again.

"Coach likes me being a rim presence and being able to rebound to be a lob threat for guys, so that's a big part of it," Kessler said, adding that it may have been the first time he's been spaced to the corner this season.

Kessler said he wants to expand his game, but not to the detriment to where he is already excelling.

He's thrived as a rim-running lob threat and a rebounder, using his increased strength to really punish teams at the basket. But the Jazz have the future in mind, too; and in the playoffs, it's a luxury to have a big man who can also space the floor.

"I do think that versatility helps," Hardy said. "I think that as a game goes on, or as you grow in the playoffs and a series starts to change, sometimes you have to make adjustments to your spacing, offensively. It's nice when changing the spacing doesn't require a sub."

Other big men have redefined their offensive game before, with the best example probably being Brook Lopez. In his first eight seasons, Lopez attempted 31 total 3-pointers. In his ninth, he took 387, which helped raise the Bucks' ceiling to a championship level.

Can Kessler do something similar?

"It sort of remains to be seen," Hardy said. "Walker and I are in conversations about this stuff, and our organization is talking about the development of all these guys. I don't want to turn the rest of the season into Walker just bombing 3s. I don't think that's productive for him or us, but it might be time for us to scratch that itch a little bit more than we have."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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