Photo: Utah Jazz/Twitter

The Jazz took a major hit late last month when Walker Kessler suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. As Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune explains, his absence has had a significant impact on Utah’s defense, which has noticeably declined since he went down.

With Kessler sidelined, Jusuf Nurkic has been elevated to the starting center position. Although Nurkic remains a strong rebounder, his defensive shortcomings have been exposed in this expanded role.

Behind him, 37-year-old Kevin Love has been serving as the primary backup center, leaving Utah with limited alternatives aside from sliding natural power forwards into the role. The results have not been encouraging, as the Jazz have surrendered 130 or more points in six of their last nine games.

Kessler’s injury also has contract implications. He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and if Utah continues to struggle defensively without him, his camp may use that contrast as leverage in upcoming negotiations.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR