Jazz's Sophomore Slumps: Arrow Point Up

Fans of the Utah Jazz came into this season expecting big jumps from Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler. These sophomores came to Utah via blockbuster trade last year and pieced together promising rookie campaigns. With an entire offseason under their belt, the expectation was that they’d be able to take their games to the next level as contributors this season.

So far, well, things have been a little rocky. Fortunately, both have shown signs that an upswing is on the way.

Let’s start with Kessler, the young center who has missed the last four Jazz games. Fresh off of an All-Rookie first-team selection and a summer spent with Team USA, Kessler was a popular pick to break out this season. So far, his points, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goal percentage are all down from last year. It’s still very early in the season, but with the addition of John Collins and the guard inconsistency, Kessler has looked a little bit out of place at times.

The good news is that Kessler put together a couple of really nice games before his recent absences. First, he scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets on 10-of-11 shooting. A week later, against the Bulls, he tallied 15 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks. These are the types of box scores Jazz fans grew accustomed to throughout last year.

Kessler’s elbow injury occurred in the first game of the season and could be a piece of the puzzle as to what caused some of his early struggles. Hopefully, when we see him on the floor again, he can build off these nice performances. 

The Jazz, who rank 28th in defense, need his rim protection desperately. The emergence of Keyonte George as the team’s starting point guard seems to have unlocked the rest of the roster offensively; maybe he will be able to do the same for Kessler.

As for Ochai, the clutter in the backcourt seemed to impact him negatively throughout the early weeks of the season. The Kessler injury might have been the catalyst that Agbaji needed to get his season going though.

Since being promoted into the starting lineup, Agbaji is averaging 8 points, 5.8 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and 1.8 blocks per game. Even more encouraging is the shooting- he is knocking down 54.5% of his shots and 50% of his threes over the past four games.

Agbaji, a prototypical 3&D shooting guard, is a valuable piece moving forward. Because he is the Jazz’s best athlete, they often line him up against the opposing team's best offensive player. Ochai has had some great moments, as well as plenty of learning experiences.

This sort of inconsistency is what you expect from young wings that are learning the ins and outs of defending different stars on a nightly basis. I expect him to continue making leaps on the less glamorous end of the court.

The one thing that has stood out about Agbaji is his athleticism and timing, which make him a tremendous shot blocker. He’s already one of the best guard shot-blockers in the league.

Exhibit A:

For Ochai to continue to earn playing time, he’s gotta keep knocking his shots down and defending at a high level. Whether or not he retains his starting gig once Kessler returns is to be determined, but he’s played well over the past few games.

While it hasn’t been an ideal start for either of the Jazz sophomores, the arrow is pointing up. As the Jazz look to improve on a 4-8 start to the season, they’ll need to lean on the defense of Walker and Ochai. How successful the Jazz are over the next few weeks will in large part depend on the contributions of these two.

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