Walker Kessler to miss season after surgery | JQJO

Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler will undergo surgery on his left shoulder and miss the rest of the season. The procedure will repair a torn labrum first incurred at Auburn. Sent home from a road trip for evaluation, Kessler’s shoulder—bothering him since last month—now sidelines one of the league’s top rim protectors, further straining a defense already struggling for stops. The timing puts him in a precarious spot as he nears restricted free agency after brief extension talks with Utah. In his absence, Jusuf Nurkic starts, with Kyle Filipowski, Taylor Hendricks and Lauri Markkanen at center.