So much for the Walker Kessler revenge game, eh?

If you’re a Jazz or NBA fan, social media was buzzing this week about former Utah big man Kessler.

The discussion centered on whether Utah made the right decision to trade Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason for two first-round picks and two pick swaps instead of ponying up for an extension.

After all, he had averaged 24 points on 84.6% shooting, 8.5 rebounds, and four blocks in his first two games with the Lakers.

Before Sunday’s matchup, Jazz players like Keyonte George and Brice Sensabough told The Salt Lake Tribune they were excited to face their former teammate.

Meanwhile, Utah coach Will Hardy downplayed Kessler’s return pregame. He did praise the big man’s two-way game.

And for the record, the Jazz thought highly of Kessler, but felt the deal was too good to pass up. In fact, a team source told The Tribune that at times this offseason, the Jazz thought they would retain Kessler.

There’s no denying the ending felt a little messy between both parties, and there was a lot of build-up to Sunday’s matchup.

So how did it go?

The Jazz held the former Utah big man to two points on two shots, a small consolation prize after a tough 132-123 loss to the Lakers.

Kessler’s return to Salt Lake City wasn’t exactly a touching moment. He didn’t receive a tribute video, only a still picture. Fans in the Delta Center were split, with a 50-50 mix of boos and cheers.

“Just letting my emotions get the best of me and kind of hype myself up, more than I usually do, and kind of got too amped,” Kessler told reporters postgame. “Couldn’t find the ball, couldn’t find the rhythm, just kind of was off. A couple fouls that were tough, a couple blocks I usually [make].”

While Kessler’s night was quiet, his teammates picked up the slack.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves combined for 81 points, with Doncic dropping 52 himself.

It didn’t matter who the Jazz threw at him; he was making buckets over everyone, from Ace Bailey’s long arms to the defense of rookie Darryn Peterson.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic was in a flow state postgame, and it’s hard to argue otherwise.

For this young Jazz squad, it was a learning experience.

“I respect a lot of players in this league, and he’s [Doncic] one of them,” George said. “It’s the NBA. There’s 450 of us. There’s not a lot of people that make it and stay for a long time. When you play those types of players, you got to understand they’re going to make tough shots. They are going to make wild shots.

“These last three years, calling me up, switching me on and making me guard, and they’re going to try to pick on who they think is the worst defender. … It’s not just about one guy. We got to play team defense. All five guys on our team got to make it tough for these players that we are preparing for.”

George said he told Peterson and Bailey that other teams’ young players wish they had the same opportunities to guard players like Reaves and Doncic.

To George’s point, the Jazz kept up with the Lakers and their two stars until the very end. And there’s a lot to be encouraged by even with the loss.

Utah outrebounded the Lakers 52-31 and stayed within striking distance, despite the Lakers making 20 3-pointers to Utah’s 10.

“These experiences are great for our team,” Hardy said. “The execution is where we’ve got to continue to raise our focus. Being young is not an excuse, and I don’t want to let [ourselves] off the hook with that.

“I think our team is improving in a bunch of areas. I think our offense has taken a step forward. Turnovers are going to continue to be an issue until we fight through fatigue better. We’re lazy and sloppy when we get tired. It’s unacceptable. You can’t win with 17 turnovers. It just doesn’t work that way.”

As Hardy noted, the turnovers are an issue. Sometimes they were from overdribbling; other times, it’s fatigue. Whatever the reason, it led to 22 points for the Lakers. Another issue was Utah’s fouling.

Make no mistake, Doncic and Reaves have mastered the art of drawing fouls (and sometimes exaggerating contact). That said, Utah simply cannot let a team take 38 free throws or get in the bonus with over 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

This team has a lot to improve if it’s going to be good enough to contend for the playoffs.

Lucky for the Jazz, there’s plenty of the season left. As Hardy would say, the Jazz are still “becoming,” and it’s unclear what this team will look like in a few months.

Maybe Kessler would have helped.

At least in the short term.

Either way, Utah is certainly trying to win games this season. It’ll take time to break some bad habits developed over four rebuilding seasons.

They’re trying to bottle up how they played in the first quarter — when they outscored Los Angeles 49-27 — and unlease it for a full game.

“I think right now, the main thing we’re focused on becoming is focus – can we focus for 48 minutes,” George said. “We understand how we want to play. Lauri [Markkanen], Jaren [Jackson Jr.], those two are the head of the snake. We need to build around that.

“As the year goes on, everyone will start to understand what type of shots they’re going to get, what plays we want to run down the stretch … I think we are slowly starting to figure out where we need to be, how we want to play [and] how physical we want to play.”

For the Jazz, it’s about finding an identity after four years of losing.

“Every team we play, some of the best teams in the league, you know what you’re going to get when you play them,” George said. “I think we’re striving for that piece. When people come to Utah, what are they going to say the night before? Like, ‘Aw man, it’s going to be tough.’ … That’s what we are striving for.”