It was a notable night for the Utah Jazz on Thursday ahead of their matchup against the Charlotte Hornets. It was unveiled entering the that rookie forward Taylor Hendricks would be securing his first start in the NBA alongside Lauri Markkanen and John Collins in the frontcourt.
It was an exciting time to see the rook get his chance to shine as a member of the starting five, but it left second-year center Walker Kessler relegated back to the second unit.
Kessler had recently been lifted back into the starting center spot after the Jazz enacted their trade deadline moves to ship out Kelly Olynyk, Simone Fontecchio, and Ochai Agbaji. However, it didn't last long until Will Hardy decided to pivot to another direction. Despite Kessler not exactly playing his way out of his starting role, the decision was made to remove him for Hendricks, shifting Collins back over to the starting five spot he held earlier in the season.
It can be a rough reality for a promising young player like Kessler to face, being in a situation with several changes and moving parts like Utah has recently sustained. Even with the difficulty, it's far from a challenge he isn't willing to take on.
Kessler spoke with the media during Friday's practice where he touched on how he took on the starting lineup adjustment vs. the Hornets.
"I am human, so naturally, that's going to affect me a little bit," Kessler said. "But, you try your best not to let it affect you because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. You just have to control what you can control and perform the way that you're supposed to perform. I think that last night, honestly, it got to me a little bit, and it shouldn't have, but it did. The one thing you can do now is move on. It's passed. Learn from it and just try to control what you can control."
It was a tough night for Kessler in Charlotte. He finished the game with two points on a rough 1/4 clip from the field, alongside two rebounds, one block, and one steal in 17 minutes. Still, he continued to relay confidence and feels he's improved his ability to "brush stuff off."
"I think last night was definitely tougher," Kessler said. "If you make a mistake, if I was playing five minutes a night and I made two mistakes, those two mistakes would feel massive because I'd have no chance to do anything. But if you play for 20 to 25 minutes, you make three mistakes, so what? You've made ten good plays, so the ratio speaks for itself."
Kessler has a bright future in Utah, though the process of developing and honing into his role as an NBA talent will inevitably have its growing pains along the way. The goal for Walker will be to continue to stay the course and lock into his strengths as the defensive anchor of the future for this Jazz team.
Utah will have a chance to bounce back from Friday's ugly loss as they take on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday for another opportunity to defend their home floor in the Delta Center.
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