Report: Walker Kessler is in the concussion protocol
With a little over seven minutes left in the third quarter of the Utah Jazz’s 111-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon, Jazz center Walker Kessler ended up on his back after a missed offensive rebound.
When Kessler got to his feet and attempted to run to the other side of the court, he was visibly shaken and a little wobbly.
The Jazz soon took a timeout, and as soon as Kessler made his way over to the bench, he was taken back to the locker room and ruled out for the remainder of the game to undergo concussion evaluation.
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“Kind of a weird play on a rebound,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said afterward. “The docs looked at him tonight, didn’t want (him) to come back in the game, so he’ll be reevaluated tomorrow.”
On Monday, Kessler was indeed reevaluated and then entered the concussion protocol, according to Tim McMahon, who covers the NBA for ESPN.
“Source: Jazz rookie center Walker Kessler is entering concussion protocol, likely ending his season,” McMahon tweeted.
The play that caused Kessler’s head injury involved a little bit of friendly fire. Kessler was positioning himself to be ready for a rebound or putback situation as Talen Horton-Tucker drove to the basket.
But as Horton-Tucker came down off his shot attempt, he swiped Kessler in the side of the head with an elbow, which sent Kessler to the floor.
The Jazz flew back to Salt Lake City Sunday night and Kessler was evaluated by team doctors and trainers Monday.
The Jazz have four games remaining in the 2022-23 season.
After an impressive rookie year, Kessler will likely receive some end-of-season accolades, whether or not he makes it back from the concussion protocol.
“Kessler is expected to be an All-Rookie selection after averaging 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 72% from the floor,” MacMahon tweeted Monday.
