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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Utah Jazz started their season relatively strong, achieving a 3-4 record in their first seven games. While it's still super early, that puts the team in the top 10 of the Western Conference standings, which is significant as they move towards a potential postseason or play-in spot next year.
They feature a talented roster that includes a big three of players who aren’t necessarily household names: Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Walker Kessler. They are the team's top three scorers, and the only three averaging double digits as of this report.
Unfortunately, they received some unfortunate news regarding Kessler. On Wednesday, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Kessler's season is over due to an injury that will require season-ending surgery.
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According to Charania's sources, Kessler will undergo shoulder surgery for a torn labrum, officially ending his season.
The former first-round pick out of Auburn missed three NBA preseason games due to shoulder bursitis before getting cleared to return for the regular season.
However, after playing in his team’s first five games of the season, Kessler returned to the Jazz injury report for shoulder bursitis, causing him to miss the team’s Sunday game against the Charlotte Hornets.
While Markannen leads the team with 31.1 points per game, and George leads with 8.1 assists per game, Kessler’s 10.8 rebounds per game led the Jazz. Additionally, Kessler led the team with 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for solid contributions.
Last season was an injury-plagued campaign for Utah’s big man, who played in just 58 games. Hip and shoulder injuries kept him out at various points in the team’s season.
In addition to his other stats, he averaged 14.4 points and three assists per game for the Jazz. The team has Jusuf Nurkic and Kyle Filipowski available in Kessler’s absence for what could be another tough season in Utah.
Additionally, Kessler becomes a restricted free agent next summer, with his current team having the right to match offers from other teams.
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