NBA Draft 2022: Live evaluations from middle part of 2021-22 CBB season

Walker Kessler- Sophomore –  Auburn- 7’1, 245 lbs – July 2001

The long-limbed North Carolina transfer dominated the Billikens, doing exactly what 7-foot future NBA players should do against a mid-major opponent. Kessler sits at No. 2 in the country in blocks per game, and first in block rate. He swatted four shots against the Billikens, using his elite length and timing. He could add some weight to his frame, but even when he’s pushed off his spot, Kessler has the wingspan to recover. He has a tendency to over-rotate a bit and leave his side of the paint, but that’s a teachable coaching error.

Offensively, Saint Louis had no answer for Kessler in the pick-and-roll as he routinely found himself open at the rim. He’s not a twitchy leaper, but the catch-radius projects him as a passable lob threat and where he should get most of his buckets at the next level. Kessler has been discussed as a potential stretch big, and while he’s hit some threes this year, I found myself lower on the shot.

The release is super-slow, with a big dip. He can hit open ones in warm-ups, but defenders can bother his shot in-game. Kessler also struggles to finish with other bigs in his vicinity. He has good touch around the rim but has a tendency to shy away from contact. That combined with average to below-average passing has me projecting him in a minor offensive role.

Kessler becomes way more enticing if the shot comes along, but that will require a ton of reworking. If it doesn’t, he still can be a rim-protecting, finishing big that clogs up space. There is a role for that in the NBA, but it’s not that difficult to find that archetype in the league and in this draft. Nonetheless, he’s likely an NBA player and that has him in the late first-round, early to mid-second round for me.