Earlier in the week, Walker Kessler said he’d been watching how Jusuf Nurkic had been playing, that he’d had the ball in his hands quite a bit and was being used as a facilitator in off-ball actions.

Kessler’s understanding was that the Utah Jazz’s offensive schemes weren’t going to change much once he was cleared from injury to play.

Well, the Jazz closed out the preseason on a high note on Thursday night with a 132-129 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, and Kessler, who’s been dealing with a left shoulder injury, made his preseason debut. Once the game was over, his mention of being used to move the ball seemed almost prophetic.

“We’re urging Walker to involve himself a little bit more in the offense and we are using him as a facilitator in a bunch of moments when we’re playing off

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