Walker Kessler makes Raptors’ Thad Young deal look even worse

The Toronto Raptors traded the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft for Thad Young with the notion that they could draft a very talented player at No. 33 overall. While Christian Koloko has had his moments, the performance of Malaki Branham and Walker Kessler is making some fans get a bit frustrated with his development.

Kessler, who parlayed a terrific final season at Auburn into the No. 24 overall pick before being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz, recorded 17 points and 14 rebounds as Will Hardy sliced up the Raptors in a 131-128 win that Toronto never felt in control of.

Toronto took 27 more shots than Utah, yet still lost by three points. Thanks to 11 blocked shots, seven of which came from Kessler, the Raptors moved to 2-10 in games decided by three points or less. Perhaps taking Kessler at 20 would have been a better option.

While Koloko has been a fine player for where he was drafted, it is abundantly clear that Kessler is a much superior player at this point in time. With Young barely a factor in the rotation, Ujiri and Bobby Webster should be held to task for burning such a valuable draft pick.

The Toronto Raptors need a player like Walker Kessler.

Toronto’s ultra-aggressive style of defense can work when you have a player like Kessler protecting the rim. The improved Precious Achiuwa tries his hardest, but he can only do so much at 6-8. There are games where Koloko is a defensive menace, but he is clearly not as pro-ready as Kessler.

The Raptors’ offense has finally woken up, as Fred VanVleet is back to his old self. Unfortunately, the defense has collectively fallen off a cliff. The “Vision 6-9” philosophy can work, but you need a rock-solid big that can guard the rim in order to have it reach its full potential.

Kessler was so dominant that he forced the notoriously grouchy Nurse to once again get some shots in at a team that sleepwalked through the first quarter. The lack of touch around the basket, made worse by a surprisingly out-of-character night from Scottie Barnes, proved that this coaching staff had no answers for him.

The most frustrating part of this Raptors season is not the fact that their roster has so many holes. It’s the fact that these holes were glaringly obvious last season, and very little was done to rectify them. Kessler would have been a phenomenal Raptor, but Toronto now has to watch him dominate elsewhere.