Walker Kessler had a strong rookie season in the NBA and the former Auburn star received a league-wide honor for his efforts.

Kessler finished 3rd in voting on the NBA’s All-Rookie Team. He turned in a season where he averaged 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in his 40 starts. He was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for February, debuted in the Rising Stars game at All-Star weekend that same month, and then scored a career-high 31 points in late March.

Kessler was not only in good company with the other elite rookies in the NBA, but he joined rare company with NBA legend Tim Duncan.

Kessler became the first rookie in 25 years to record at least 4 games of 7+ blocks, which trailed Duncan’s 5 times in 1998, and he became the first Jazz rookie ever to record a 30-point, 10-rebound game.

Kessler, who won two national defensive player of the year awards at Auburn and was widely considered the best shot-blocker in this draft, was drafted at No. 22. He set the NCAA single-season blocks record with 155.