After just five games, **Walker Kessler**‘s fourth NBA season is over. The Jazz center will undergo left shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the 2025/26 campaign, according to reports from Tony Jones of The Athletic and NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter links).
Kessler has been diagnosed with a torn labrum, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who confirms that the big man is out for the season.
The 22nd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Kessler was traded from Minnesota to Utah in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster that summer. The 24-year-old has since emerged as the Jazz’s starting center, establishing new career highs last season in points (11.1), rebounds (12.2), and assists (1.7) per game across 58 outings. He also matched a career high with 2.4 blocks per night and led the NBA with 4.6 offensive rebounds per contest.
Kessler started Utah’s first five games this season, averaging 14.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 3.0 APG in 30.8 MPG, before being held out of the past two contests due to what the team originally deemed left shoulder bursitis.
More to come…