A lot of attention usually gets focused on Walker Kessler's defense and for good reason, he was just recently named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year mid-season watch list.
He leads the nation with 93 blocks and is second in average, averaging 4.23 blocks per game.
However, Kessler has taken it up a notch on the other end since the beginning of SEC play, and it's been a big part of Auburn's success.
Kessler is shooting a combined 41-of-62 on shots inside the arc, good for over 66 percent on two-point attempts.
The pick-and-roll between Kessler and Wendell Green Jr. has become a staple of this team's offense, with the two being nearly unstoppable. Teams are forced to either bite on Green and leave Kessler open for an alley-oop, or focus on Kessler and leave Green with enough space to get a shot off. Some teams have tried to have defenders bite in and help, which just leaves Auburn's best 3-point shooter in Jabari Smith open.
"Walker’s the best player I’ve ever had in the air. He’s the best player in college basketball in the air," Bruce Pearl said. "Defensively, obviously, protecting the rim, but offensively, making plays. You get above your feet, and there’s all that contact, and you’re really not sure about how things are going to be when you land.
"Look, it’s not the fall, you know? Nobody jumps off a cliff and dies on the way down; it’s the landing. He’s not afraid to put himself in compromising positions, catch the ball, finish and land. I mean, it’s a rare, rare, rare ability. You throw it up there, he’s getting it, and he’s finishing it at a very high level."
While his interior offense has taken a major step forward, Kessler has still struggled with the three, shooting at an 18.2 percent mark from beyond the arc.
Though, his teammates and the staff have encouraged him to keep shooting it and it's remained a part of the offense. Just two games ago Kessler knocked down two of his four three-point attempts against Oklahoma.
"My coaching staff, my teammates have all really put faith in me and really encouraged me to keep shooting," Kessler said. "So it really was just a matter of time before they started to fall. Hats off to my teammates and coaching staff. They never told me not to shoot; they told me to shoot every time. As a shooter and as a player, it helps you a lot — puts confidence in you. You're bound to make a couple."
In Auburn's first matchup with Georgia Kessler went for 15 points, six rebounds and six blocks. This time around in Stegeman Coliseum, Kessler and Auburn will be in front of plenty of family and friends who watched older Kessler's play for the Georgia Bulldogs.
"He puts a lot of pressure on any defensive scheme because he’s so good rolling and popping, and playmaking," Pearl said. "He’s a good passer. I put the ball in his hands on the perimeter a lot to drag the big guy away from the basket and let him make plays or to have assists. Walker can also put the ball down on the floor. He can rip it and take it to the basket. He’s two strides—15 feet—away from dunking.”
Auburn and Georgia will tip from Stegeman Coliseum at noon CT with the game available on SEC Network.
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