Optimism in Salt Lake Metropolis has taken a significant hit. Utah Jazz middle Walker Kessler will miss the remainder of the 2025–26 NBA season after present process surgical procedure to restore a left shoulder labral tear, the workforce introduced Wednesday.
Kessler had began Utah’s first 5 video games of the season and was initially listed out with left shoulder bursitis.
However after additional analysis, the damage proved way more extreme than first thought.
The 23-year-old massive man was within the midst of a breakout marketing campaign. By 5 video games, he was averaging 14.4 factors per contest on an environment friendly 70.3 % capturing, whereas additionally knocking down 10.8 rebounds per sport. Extra importantly, he had rapidly emerged as one of many NBA’s most promising rim protectors.
We introduced at present that middle Walker Kessler will bear surgical procedure to restore a left shoulder labral tear.
The process might be carried out in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Nov. 6. Following the surgical procedure, Kessler will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season.
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— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 5, 2025
“He was having the perfect season of his profession,” a workforce official instructed NBC Sports activities’ Kurt Helin. “It’s powerful as a result of he’d taken an actual step ahead on each ends of the ground.”
The damage couldn’t have come at a worse time for Kessler, who is ready to grow to be a restricted free agent this coming offseason.
“There’ll nonetheless be groups within the massive man, however this isn’t serving to him earn the contract he hoped to land,” Helin wrote.
Kessler’s journey has been something however abnormal. Drafted twenty second total in 2022, he was traded twice earlier than ever enjoying an expert minute, ultimately touchdown in Utah as a part of the blockbuster deal that despatched Rudy Gobert to Minnesota. These had been massive footwear to fill, however Kessler’s play had given Jazz followers actual hope that one other defensive cornerstone was rising.
With Kessler sidelined, the Jazz are anticipated to rely extra closely on Jusuf Nurkic, rookie Kyle Filipowski, and veteran Kevin Like to fill the void within the frontcourt.
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