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Mar 17, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz’s Walker Kessler Lands Notable NBA Center Ranking

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 12:00 PM ET

When stacking up Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler among the best talents at his position in the Western Conference, where exactly would he stand?

In the eyes of Iztok Franko of Diggin Basketball, while he might not be in the same echelon of superstars like Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, there's still a lot to like from the Jazz big man–– enough to place him within the top 10 centers in the West.

When placing Kessler among the West's best centers, Franko put the Jazz big man as the 10th-best center in the West, mentioning his inexperience that may limit him from placing much higher, but still notes a ton of upside to be had as a young defender that squeaks him into the 10th spot.

"I’ll round out the top ten with Kessler, though you could reasonably go in a few different directions from seven to fifteen depending on personal preference, team fit, or how much you value future potential," Franko wrote, "I ranked Kessler here based on the latter. He’s just 23 years old, and his rim protection and rebounding numbers are already approaching those of his predecessor in Utah, Rudy Gobert."

"Kessler has no playoff track record, so there’s no evidence yet of how he holds up in different defensive schemes," said Franko. "He excels at shot blocking and offensive rebounding — two strengths that stem from his length and vertical leaping ability — but he has mostly played alongside a more mobile big like John Collins to help cover some of his limitations. Based on current performance and playoff track record, veterans like Naz Reid, Brook Lopez, or Al Horford (if he were included in the rankings) would rank ahead of Kessler."

Ahead of Kessler were a few routine names that you'd expect, but also a couple that were a bit eye-catching, including Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively at eight, and the newest Los Angeles Lakers center, Deandre Ayton, at the seventh spot.

For Kessler, the skillset was put on full display when he was on the floor last season as he posted career highs in points and rebounds, while proving that the ceiling he possesses as the centerpiece of this Jazz defense remains sky-high–– largely due to his impact as a rim-protector and shot-blocker presented all across his breakout third season.

But, especially in a talented Western Conference, Kessler may need a couple more seasons to truly establish himself as one of the best defensive centers in the NBA and further than the 10th-ranked big in the West, which inevitably also includes the desire to see a few more wins from the Jazz as a whole to cement that status.

Kessler has all of the potential to keep rising up the board, but when his team has less than 20 wins on the year to show for it, its easy to see how he still has more work to do when proving his worth compared to those above him, including the former Jazz big man Rudy Boert, who still found his way to being ranked the 5th-best center in the NBA.

Utah now has the task of inking their young big man to a new rookie extension this offseason, if they want to keep him around the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen when this front office and Kessler can put pen to paper. However, signs certainly do seem to point toward him being a key part of what this team is building for the long haul.