LAS VEGAS — Jordan Walsh let out a yell in the right corner after missing another shot before the buzzer. Back-to-back attempts by Walsh fell flat entering halftime, teammates meeting him where he stood on the far end of the court with light taps hoping to push him toward a stronger half. But Walsh wouldn’t score again as he shot 0-for-4 over 13 minutes.
“I’ll give him credit,” assistant coach D.J. MacLeay said. “I thought he did compete. Shots aren’t gonna go in sometimes. He generally had the right mindset and approach to the game. I thought the shots he took were decent, maybe except for one or two, then it’s up to me to help him get a little better looks and get him going.”
Walsh focused on shooting better he explained his goals for his second year in the Vegas showcase. He also looked further ahead to 2024-25, saying he wanted to show Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens that he can fit into Boston’s plans as the team tries to repeat as champions. Walsh earned that distinction, celebrating in the locker room, riding in the parade and working throughout the playoffs, though only watching when the games tipped-off. He spent nearly the entirety of his rookie season in the G-League with Maine.
It doesn’t sound like something he hopes to do again. It might be necessary for a 20-year-old with most of the pro roster returning.
“I can play a role that they need me to play next year,” Walsh said before the first game. “That hopefully helps to win a championship. It definitely was a focus in Maine. I took that back seat to be more of a 3-and-D guy. I feel like that’s what Boston wanted from me … that’s what my teammates needed. So that’s what I had to do. Obviously, Summer League, I was trying to prove myself, so I had a healthy bit of both.”
Walsh began last summer with similar enthusiasm and high hopes. When Boston drafted him No. 38 overall, he signed a four-year standard contract and imagined how he’d play off Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He spent training camp with the pro Celtics, scrimmaging against soon-to-be champions and playing one-on-one long after practice ended. The wake-up calls began there, Payton Pritchard taking pride in teaching the rookie a lesson in their matchups.
Then — the assignment to Maine came. Walsh struggled with it at first, the unfamiliar city 90 minutes north, the cold that quickly set over it and adapting to a new role. Like many first time G-Leaguers, Walsh had to balance showing his skills with playing a role. When he learned how focusing on threes and defense could provide him the fastest track to Boston, he embraced it and finished with a solid season, shooting 35.4% from three on 240 attempts while playing a significant role in Maine reaching the G-League Finals.
“I think there’s opportunity there,” MacLeay said. “But you can’t skip steps to get to that stage. We talk a lot about mindset, getting better each day, approaching each day as an opportunity to improve and I think that’s been the constant message. You can’t get there without improving each day right now. So that’s what, as a staff, we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to instill in each player.”
That reality stems from Boston potentially needing internal wing depth if free agents Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk don’t return, and the team expecting a long learning curve for Walsh given how quickly he leaped to the league. Perhaps even longer than one year. Walsh quickly saw how nothing’s guaranteed into year two. A new class of draft picks arrive to the team and league each year. On day one, fellow wing Baylor Scheierman, who played four more college seasons than Walsh, outplayed him in the Celtics’ loss to the Heat. Scheierman carved out a solid debut despite missing his first three shots badly.
Walsh could’ve benefited from that short memory on Saturday. Each miss showed in his expression and creeped into his play. That happened early in his rookie year too, and he did a better job reigning it in despite embracing an emotional, energetic game where he even doesn’t mind fouling sometimes to allow himself extra aggressiveness. That looked like pressing in this game, though, holding himself to a high standard he couldn’t reach and showing his reaction. He chased behind a Kel’el Ware handoff attempt and fouled as he tried to get himself going midway through the game, only to pause in disbelief over the call.
Bad shooting nights happen in Summer League. The Celtics played sloppy as a whole for segments of the game, Neemias Queta also probably wanting back some of the misses at the rim he piled up inside. The two plays where Walsh drove and lost the ball can’t happen. And that goes back to the mindset he embraced last year that set himself up for success. Focusing on playing a narrow but impactful role.
“Being a rookie in the NBA in general, never mind a rookie that’s navigating the G-League and living in Portland, Maine when you’ve lived in the south your whole life,” former Maine head coach Blaine Mueller said. “All of those different pieces and just maturing as a person. I think he’s had a tremendous season, a tremendous year … the effort, development and growth he’s shown, on and off the court, he’s obviously got a long way to go, but really encouraged by the track he’s on.”
