Walker Kessler takes third in Rookie of the Year voting

The NBA announced the winner of the Rookie of the Year award today and it was awarded to Paolo Banchero.

When you go to the complete voting, you can see that Walker Kessler won 3rd place in voting.

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It’s a huge accomplishment for Kessler, who surprised everyone this season with his impressive play on the defensive end, where he was one of the best rim protectors in the league as a rookie. On top of his defensive prowess, Kessler was a monster on the boards on both offense and defense, where he dominated games.

It has to be said, but Kessler being this good for the Utah Jazz, on top of everything else they got from the Minnesota Timberwolves, is hilarious. Utah was looking to get a better pick in what looks like a historic draft but the rise of Kessler and Lauri Markkanen changed everything. Now, with an elite head coach and two young cornerstone players to build on combined with a treasure trove of picks, the Jazz are in one of the best positions they’ve ever been in. If they can hit on their picks in the upcoming draft, and find players in free agency that fit their timeline on good contracts, they can become a contender far sooner than they imagined.