Learning to stretch the floor — the next evolution for Walker Kessler

During a recent practice scrimmage at training camp, Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy playfully threatened Walker Kessler.

“If you don’t shoot the next open 3, I’m going to fine you $10,000.”

Dutifully, Kessler shot the ball.

Some of you might remember last season when the rookie took his first 3-point attempt of the year in the first game following the All-Star break. It was a bit of a joke because Kessler had hit some 3’s in the All-Star Skills Challenge and Hardy had smirked while saying that Kessler was now going to expect for plays to be run for him on the perimeter.

Then, the opening offensive play in that first game back was a play run for Kessler to get an open 3, and he knocked it down.

“I’m very happy that it went in,” Hardy said at the time. “Though I may have created a monster.”

But Kessler only took two more 3-pointers during the 2022-23 season and he missed both of them. That could lead a lot of people to think that the outside game is not going to be a real part of Kessler’s NBA future. Well, think again.

The 22-year-old spent a lot of time this summer examining his shot and trying to correct some of the imperfections, and has shown off some of his progress during the preseason.

“I had the bad habit over the past two years, whenever I shot I would kind of bring the ball too high, where it would come behind my head,” Kessler said. “It kind of had this catapult motion where there wasn’t a lot of arc.”

Working with his longtime trainer, Kessler slowly moved his shot forward so that at the highest point, his hands were still in front of him, allowing him to see his hand and the ball.

“Then that forward movement doesn’t come from my arm,” he said. “It comes from my wrist.”

Kessler has also been working with Jazz assistant coach Chris Jones on perfecting his footwork, making sure that he’s able to get his feet set no matter where the pass for the shot comes from.

“The shot up top is important but your base is the most important thing,” he said. “If I can get my feet under me and really focus on stepping and get my legs down, that usually means that my shot is a lot better.”

And all of this work is not because Kessler plans on taking just three 3-point attempts all year. The Jazz want him to feel confident and comfortable taking 3’s.

Related

• Jazz mailbag, Part I: The latest on the guard battle, Kris Dunn, John Collins and more

• Jazz mailbag, Part II: Why incorporating John Collins helps Walker Kessler’s development

• Jazz reportedly discussed a trade with Rockets involving Talen Horton-Tucker

It’s not like the Jazz are looking for Kessler to start bombing 10 3-pointers a game or expect him to be a 40% shooter, but Hardy does want him taking the shot when it’s open, and with the addition of John Collins to the Jazz roster, it makes a lot of sense.

Collins has proven to be one of the league’s best rollers and is a lob threat anytime he’s near the basket. It’s not hard to see that his production and efficiency dropped when the Hawks parked him in the corner, preferring to run pick-and-rolls with Clint Capela.

There have been a lot of questions about what the Jazz offense is going to look like with both Kessler and Collins on the floor, and while the Jazz aren’t going to center their offense around Collins, there are going to be times when they want to open up the floor for him.

“John is a great shooter too, but you don’t want to take away from his rolling ability and his above-the-rim presence,” Kessler said.

And, Kessler’s teammates who have watched him improve his form and knock down 3-pointers in practice are completely open to him becoming a bit of a stretch big.

“He’s going to be open, at least at first,” friend and teammate Micah Potter said. “And if guys start sliding out to guard him, that just opens the floor up even more for everyone else, and he’s a good passer.”

The way that Kessler sees it, if there’s a chance for him to make a few 3’s while benefitting his teammates, there’s no reason not to try. And then, there’s the extra motivation — if he doesn’t take the open shot, it could literally cost him.