Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler will miss the remainder of the NBA season to recover from surgery on a torn left shoulder labrum, the club announced on Wednesday.
Kessler will have the operation performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday, the Jazz said in a statement.
The 24-year-old, 7-foot-2 (2.18m) American center appeared in five games this season, averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 blocked shots a game for Utah, which is off to a 3-4 start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Kessler, the 22nd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has career averages of 9.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.4 blocks a game over 201 appearances.
Bosnian 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic, obtained in a trade from Charlotte last June, has replaced Kessler in the Jazz starting lineup the past two games.
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