Walker Kessler
Age 25 · 7'1" · 245 lb
Pick #22, 2022 Draft · Rookie 2023 · 202 games
DPM · #90 of 519
+1.2Historical comps
Comps & futures
The ten most similar player-seasons since 1996-97 at the same age, and what happened to them next.
| Comp | Age | DPM then | Next 5 seasons | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakob Poeltl 2019-20 | 24 | +1.1 | +2.0, +1.5, +1.6, +1.9, +1.7 | 86 |
| Joakim Noah 2009-10 | 25 | +0.9 | +1.8, +1.7, +1.1, +2.5, +1.5 | 85 |
| Myles Turner 2020-21 | 25 | +1.0 | +1.3, +1.0, +1.6, +2.3, +0.2 | 83 |
| DeAndre Jordan 2013-14 | 25 | +1.2 | +2.3, +2.8, +2.9, +2.1, -0.3 | 83 |
| Clint Capela 2019-20 | 25 | +1.4 | +2.4, +1.8, +1.3, +1.2, +0.8 | 83 |
| Tyson Chandler 2006-07 | 24 | +1.2 | +2.6, +1.5, +0.6, +2.8, +1.7 | 83 |
| Jeremy Evans 2011-12 | 24 | +1.2 | +1.9, +0.5, +1.3, +1.0, under 10 games | 82 |
| Tony Battie 2000-01 | 25 | +0.3 | +1.0, +1.6, 0.0, -1.4, -1.2 | 82 |
| Jamaal Magloire 2002-03 | 24 | +0.2 | -0.6, -1.4, -1.3, -2.0, -1.6 | 82 |
| Kosta Koufos 2013-14 | 25 | +0.1 | +0.1, -1.3, -1.0, -0.6, -1.1 | 82 |
The 25 player-seasons since 1996-97 closest to Walker's 2026-27 at the same age: DPM and its offense/defense split, the two seasons before, box-score profile, height, experience and age. Each comp counts once, at his closest season, weighted by the match. Hover or focus a comp to trace his next five seasons. A website presentation, not a DARKO model output.
Around the league
Top 10 comps today
Current players closest to Walker Kessler's current profile, by DARKO ratings, age and projected box-score style.
- +1.2DPMDPM Offense +0.2 Defense +1.0 Per 100 possessions:21.8points18.6rebounds3.4assistsP/R/A100.0
- +1.0DPMDPM Offense -0.4 Defense +1.3 Per 100 possessions:17.6points16.0rebounds4.3assistsP/R/A86.8
- +1.3DPMDPM Offense -0.3 Defense +1.6 Per 100 possessions:18.7points15.9rebounds3.9assistsP/R/A86.5
- +1.4DPMDPM Offense +0.1 Defense +1.3 Per 100 possessions:20.1points19.9rebounds3.9assistsP/R/A85.4
- +1.4DPMDPM Offense +0.1 Defense +1.3 Per 100 possessions:14.8points16.7rebounds3.7assistsP/R/A85.1
- +0.3DPMDPM Offense -1.1 Defense +1.4 Per 100 possessions:20.7points19.4rebounds2.3assistsP/R/A83.5
- +0.5DPMDPM Offense -0.3 Defense +0.8 Per 100 possessions:16.7points13.0rebounds2.4assistsP/R/A83.1
- +0.4DPMDPM Offense +0.1 Defense +0.3 Per 100 possessions:21.4points15.2rebounds3.4assistsP/R/A82.9
- +1.4DPMDPM Offense +0.2 Defense +1.2 Per 100 possessions:26.2points16.0rebounds4.8assistsP/R/A82.2
- +1.5DPMDPM Offense +0.4 Defense +1.1 Per 100 possessions:23.8points17.9rebounds3.7assistsP/R/A81.7
How these matches work
Each player's latest published profile is compared with today's league. The score uses standardized differences in DPM, offense, defense, age, scoring, assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, turnovers, three-point shot share and free-throw rate. DPM and age carry the most weight. Historical trajectory and a same-age cutoff are not used here.
100 is an identical profile, so a current player is his own first match. Scores fall by 8 points per unit of weighted distance, down to zero. This is a similarity index, not a probability. Box-score figures are projections per 100 possessions, so playing time does not distort the comparison.
Value
Contract & longevity
DARKO's fair salary from projected wins against Walker Kessler's salary, and the odds of still being on an NBA roster in each coming season.
- Fair value
- $14.7M
- DARKO's market estimate
- Salary
- $28.3M
- Actual
- Surplus
- -$13.6M
- Value minus salary
- WARP
- 4.6
- Wins above replacement
- Seasons left
- 5.2
- Projected
- Retires at
- 30.4
- Projected age
Career
Season by season
DPM going into each season's last game, since 1996-97.
| Season | Team | Age | Games | MPG | DPM | Off | Def | For his age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 so far | LAL | 25 | 1 | 29.8 | +0.89 | -0.23 | +1.12 | — |
| 2025-26 | UTA | 24 | 5 | 30.8 | +0.84 | -0.10 | +0.94 | — |
| 2024-25 | UTA | 23 | 58 | 30.0 | +0.78 | -0.10 | +0.88 | 182nd of 1100 |
| 2023-24 | UTA | 22 | 64 | 23.3 | +0.17 | -0.75 | +0.92 | 195th of 813 |
| 2022-23 | UTA | 21 | 74 | 23.0 | +0.82 | +0.03 | +0.79 | 50th of 571 |
Games are regular season; +n are playoff games. "For his age" ranks the season's DPM among every season at the same age since 1996-97 with 20 or more games. A season's DPM opens the leaderboard on its last game day.
Projections
Projected box score
DARKO's per-100 projections, and per game at 21.3 projected minutes and a pace of 99.4.
| Stat | Per 100 | Per game |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 21.8 | 9.6 |
| Rebounds | 18.6 | 8.2 |
| Offensive | 6.8 | 3.0 |
| Defensive | 11.8 | 5.2 |
| Assists | 3.4 | 1.5 |
| Steals | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| Blocks | 3.3 | 1.5 |
| Turnovers | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| 3-pt attempts | 1.1 | 0.5 |
| FG attempts | 14.7 | 6.5 |
| FT attempts | 5.4 | 2.4 |
| FG% · 3P% · FT% | 66.2% · 26.1% · 58.0% | |