Jan 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) secures the ball after a rebound during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jazz Rookies Receive Strong Message From Walker Kessler

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Throughout the 2024-25 regular season filled with trials and tribulations for the Utah Jazz, it's also been a year in which the team has seen some appealing upside from their young talent, especially so for their rookie talent from this summer's draft class.

Effectively bringing in Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski, the three have shown out a few intriguing flashes within the year through their ups and downs of a typical young player's development.

Collier is the newest Jazz franchise leader for most assists in a rookie season, Filipowski has been one of the best second-rounders of this year's class, and while Williams is still trying to find his place in the league, he's seemingly shown improvements going into the second half of his first year pro; all of which could mean good things for the future in Utah.

The growth of the Jazz's young players is something their teammates are taking clear notice of as well. During a recent interview with KSL Sports, Walker Kessler dove into what he's seen from Utah's rookies across the 2024-25 season, showing nothing but love for his guys, but also handing out a bit of valuable advice for the coming months as well.

"As fans, you see what's on the court, but off that court, and how many hours they put into the weight room, and on the court, and in the practice gym; they work their tails off," Kessler said. "And you've seen improvement from all three of them throughout this year. So, continuing to improve, continuing to learn, going into this offseason and taking advantage of these last 10 games or so to jumpstart your offseason development is going to be huge for them."

Now with this season coming to a close in under two weeks, eyes now turn to what this offseason could hold for not only how this Jazz roster will transform, but how the young faces on this roster can develop as well.

In the case of Kessler, he took major advantage of his opportunities in the offseason this past summer. He stayed diligent in the gym, kept his body right, and continued to improve across those off-months, eventually leading to his standout third season in Utah this campaign. He's now posting career-highs in points, rebounds, and blocks in 57 games played.

If this year's batch of Jazz rookies, or any other one of Utah's young players for that matter, can take a similar leap to what Kessler managed to put together this season, it'll mean big things for the future of this rebuild for next season and onwards.

Moving that needle is far from an overnight process, but considering the work put in from the three first-year players this season, it'll be hard to expect that to change in the coming months.

Isaiah Collier Breaks John Stockton's Jazz Rookie Assist Record

This article first appeared on Utah Jazz on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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