Getty Walker Kessler #13 of the Auburn Tigers blocks shot
The Chicago Bulls are a perfect landing spot for Auburn big man, Walker Kessler, says Sports Illustrated’s Gray Oldenburg for Auburn Daily. They have quite the decision to make.
No, this is not about the pending free agency of Zach LaVine. This is about the NBA Draft which will take place on June 23. Despite being so far out, the draft is squarely in the crosshairs with the deadline for hopeful prospects to declare on April 24.
Mock drafting does not wait for the offseason or even the regular season, for that matter. You can usually find a mock for an upcoming draft the moment the current one is over and, oftentimes, well before.
From that, pockets of draft takes can be found dotting the landscape placing prospects with teams based on teams’ needs (and the wants of the author). That leads us to Oldenburg’s piece.
Kessler Fits Bulls
Walker Kessler is a 7-foot-1 center who averaged 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He began his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina but transferred to be closer to family (subscription required).
After averaging 0.9 blocks in fewer than eight minutes as a Tar Heel, he blocked 4.6 shots per game in more than 25 minutes per contest last season for Auburn.
Oldenburg cites that as one of the reasons the 2022 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year would fit well with the Bulls.
“The only center they have on the roster that gets minutes is Nikola Vučević. This has led to struggles in rebounds and blocks per game. They were 28th in the NBA in rebounding and 25th in blocks, and those are two impacts that Kessler can make immediately coming off the bench in Chicago”
The Bulls do have Tristan Thompson, who joined the team after the All-Star break. But he played just over seven minutes in Game 1 finishing with two points, two rebounds, and minus-four plus-minus.
Their only other center is reserve big Tony Bradley. He did not see any floor time in the opening loss and his play was a driving factor behind adding Thompson.
Well Within Range
The NBA announced that the Bulls won a tiebreaker for draft positioning on April 18 meaning they will select 18th overall in June. There have been calls for the Bulls to package the pick with other assets to make a blockbuster trade this offseason, a move that will have to wait until they make the selection on draft night.
Kessler’s range has been in the first round but has ranged anywhere from the backend of the lottery to the end of the first round.
That could be an issue with Oldenburg listing three other fits for Kessler, two of which – the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers – will select before the Bulls. The Hornets will need a center with Marshall Plumlee heading for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Walker Kessler vs Texas A&M (2.12.22)
Tankathon.com has things working out, though, mocking Kessler to the Bulls with their pick while they have Duke’s Mark Williams going to Charlotte with the 13th-overall pick.
Kessler’s collegiate career ended with a dud. He went 0-for-6 from the floor with two boards and two blocks as Auburn fell 79-61 to the University of Miami in the second round of the tournament. He averaged 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds with 6.5 blocks, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 assists in the Tigers’ two postseason games before that though.
The Bigs Picture
Vucevic had 24 points with 17 boards and two blocks in the Bulls’ Game 1 loss. But this season has been far from ideal with the 11-year veteran putting up his fewest points per game on his worst efficiency since the 2018 season.
He was never in Chicago for his defense, though. The Bulls could use Kessler’s shot-blocking regardless of whether or not they decide to move on from Vucevic.
The Bulls were only outrebounded 58-53 in Game 1 versus Milwaukee. But they were also outscored in the paint 42-32. Kessler appears equipped to solve both of those issues for a team such as the Bulls right away come next season.