WATCH: Walker Kessler explains his thought process regarding potential NBA decision
Walker Kessler didn’t give away much on where he is at with his NBA Draft decision. After winning the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Auburn Tigers center spoke briefly with reporter Andy Katz.
When the final question came regarding Kessler’s future in college basketball, he said he had not yet made up his mind. Most NBA mock draft have him projected as a first round pick, though he will likely go outside of the lottery.
“I’m still kind of feeling it out and feeling decisions, but I’m excited for the opportunity,” Kessler told Katz.
A sophomore for the Tigers this past season, Kessler was one of their premier post players with 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds per game. His 4.6 blocks per game led the SEC, and were more than two ahead of second-place Colin Castleton of Florida. Kessler helped Auburn earn a two seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the second round to Miami. This was his first season at Auburn after transferring from North Carolina, where he put up 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds across just 8.8 minutes per game as a freshman.
Kessler was the No. 4 center in the class of 2020 according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He chose to play for the Tar Heels over offers from Duke, Gonzaga, Memphis and others.
Walker Kessler isn’t the only Auburn player weighing his NBA future right now. The Tigers also have freshman phenom Jabari Smith, who led the team with 16.9 points in addition to 7.4 rebounds per game. Smith’s future in the league is a bit more certain than Kessler’s, as he is widely regarded as a top five pick according to most experts. Still, neither player has made an official decision, though Smith also addressed his future following the loss to Miami in the NCAA Tournament.
“I feel like if I had to make this decision 1,000 more times, I would choose Auburn,” Smith said via AL.com’s Tom Green.
Other than Kessler and Smith, Auburn appears to be returning most of its contributors from this past season. That includes senior guard Zep Jasper, who announced recently he would return to the program for a sixth collegiate season in 2022-23. If the Tigers also get Kessler to come back, they looked primed to defense their SEC.