Walker Kessler, the second-year center and defensive anchor for Utah in the paint, will be out for at least a couple of weeks with a sprained elbow, the team announced.
During Utah’s season-opening game versus Sacramento on Oct. 25, Walker Kessler sustained a UCL sprain in his left elbow. The injury was diagnosed by MRI testing after Kessler continued to play and experienced discomfort. Rest with non-contact activities has been recommended to…
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 8, 2023
A UCL sprain is more commonly associated with baseball pitchers or other sports where players make a throwing motion, it’s less common in the NBA. The typical treatment is rest (for anything but the most severe cases).
This is another setback for a Jazz team that stumbled out of the gate at 2-7, partly due to the 29th-ranked defense in the league. In their first game without Kessler — a loss to the Pacers Wednesday — coach Will Hardy went small and started Lauri Markkanen at center and John Collins at the four with three guards (it was the first start for rookie Keyonte George). That lineup was +6 at the start of the first and third quarters, but with the game on the line late in the fourth it could not get the job done (-4 in that stretch). Hardy could also lean into Kelly Olynyk or Omer Yurtseven at the five.
None of those options are great, the Jazz defense needs Kessler back and playing like he did his rookie season.
