History is made, yet again. Two Auburn players have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft for the first time ever.
First, it was Jabari Smith to the Rockets with the third pick, and this time it is Walker Kessler to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The big man was selected with the No. 22 pick in the draft Thursday night.
Kessler, who originally signed with North Carolina out of high school, transferred to Auburn after receiving limited playing time his freshman season.
Once he arrived at Auburn, Kessler blossomed into the player that got him to where he is tonight, a spot next to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on the stage of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Kessler was a force in the paint defensively all season for the Tigers - setting the school’s single-season block record with 155. The previous holder was Kyle Davis, who rejected 126 shots in the 2002-03 season.
Kessler’s 4.6 blocks per game resulted in him receiving a number of awards. The seven footer was not only named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year but the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year as well, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the nation.
Given his elite defensive play and steady offensive showings, Kessler was also named to the AP’s All-American Third Team.
There had only been one triple-double in Auburn’s history before Kessler arrived in Auburn, but Kessler recorded two, both with double-digit blocks, in his lone season at Auburn.
In Auburn's SEC home opener against LSU, Kessler went off for 16 points, 11 blocks and 10 rebounds. A month later against Texas A&M, Kessler dominated the Aggies with 12 points, a career-high 12 blocks and 11 rebounds.
Kessler ended the season with 13 double-doubles and 16 games with five or more blocks.
The duo of Kessler and Smith was instrumental in what was a historic season for Auburn. The Tigers won the SEC Regular Season Championship for the first time since the 2017-18 season and rose all the way to the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll for the first time in the school’s history.
The Timberwolves were the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference last season, and Kessler will have a chance to fill in a gap in an area of weakness for Minnesota last season - shot blocking.
Star center Karl-Anthony Towns led the team with 1.1 blocks per game, but as lineups with two centers on the court together grow more popular, Kessler could sit in the paint next to Towns. Offensively, Towns often likes to float around the three-point line, which would allow Kessler to play where he is most comfortable - in the paint.
The Timberwolves open their summer-league schedule against the Denver Nuggets on July 8. The game will be broadcast on NBATV.
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Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
