The Utah Jazz were the beneficiaries of one of the more fascinating storylines of the recent NBA Trade Deadline. Jazz CEO of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, is infamous for his shrewd trading tactics.

The Utah Jazz lost to the Sacramento Kings, 118-101, on Wednesday night, despite a monster performance by center Walker Kessler.The third-year pro erupted for a season-best 25 points and game-high 14 rebounds,

The Jazz weren't without their strong contributors, most notably with Kessler's historic night in the box score, but the team also had their shortcomings as well. Among those that left a bit more to be desired was Jordan Clarkson, who ended with one of his worst shooting performances since coming to Utah.

The Jazz center was questionable heading into the contest with an illness and ended up missing Utah's previous bout vs. the Portland Trail Blazers. But, in the hours leading up to tip-off, Kessler was cleared and clearly didn't miss a beat from his current pace this season.

Still four games ahead of the Washington Wizards who just collected their tenth victory of the season in 57 attempts, the Jazz are currently knotted with the Charlotte Hornets, a franchise desperate for a savior to forage their organization out of the depths.

Gilgeous Alexander was the only Thunder player to receive votes for Defensive Player of the Year last season, finishing seventh in the race. He’s second in the league in steals per game (1.9), trailing Atlanta Hawks forward Dyson Daniels’ clip of 3.1.

With his driving, passing and decision-making, rookie guard Isaiah Collier is proving to be a steal for the Utah Jazz.