BOSTON — In July, Jordan Walsh looked unequivocally lost.
The rising second-year player with ambitious Summer League expectation was erratic on drives, inconsistent on defense, and unreliable offensively. Walsh, even with the most optimistic interpretation, seemed miles away from becoming an impactful rotation player.
A few months later, reflecting on the Las Vegas stint, the 20-year-old admittedly deemed the performance “unacceptable.”
But, things change very quickly in the NBA, particularly at Walsh’s young age. He spent the summer refining his game, and adhered to Jrue Holiday’s advice to simply slow down. And, he embraced the idea that he didn’t need to force the issue on offense, or show his depth of movements. He just needed to buckle down defensively and do all the little things.
Joe Mazzulla took note of Walsh’s improvements during training camp: “[He’s] defending at a high level, defending multiple positions, rebounding, and then making reads on the offensive end. Just really proud of his growth.”
Four months after Vegas, Walsh turned in the most meaningful minutes of his young professional career. He was the second player off the bench in a high-profile game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he made the most of his 13 minutes, drawing rave reviews from his teammates and coaches.
“I thought Jordan played great,” Jaylen Brown said postgame. “His minutes was exceptional for our team. He made some big time offensive rebounds and he also had some big defensive possessions — but credit to him being ready.”
Walsh played just over five minutes in the first quarter, missing two threes but holding his own on both ends. The stint was enough to give Joe Mazzulla confidence to turn back to him later in the game; Walsh subbed back in late in the third and delivered, scoring on a putback late in the third, drawing a foul, and getting a big stop on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Immediately, it was clear that Walsh had just logged the most impactful minutes of his career. It’s also evident the 2023 No. 38 pick was quickly rising in his spot in the rotation after playing a total of just 83 NBA minutes in his rookie season.
“Big game, big moment for a young player playing against a potential playoff team matchup,” Brown said. “I thought he added and contributed to getting to win tonight.”
On a team as stacked and mistake-free as the Celtics, simply contributing positively to a win is an accomplishment in and of itself; Joe Mazzulla has discussed on a number of occasions how difficult it is for young guys to break through and earn minutes
And, the home crowd made their appreciation for Walsh’s contributions known, giving him a rousing ovation as he checked out of the ball game in the fourth quarter.
Joe Mazzulla, who has praised Walsh for his growth numerous times this year, let the second-year player know his efforts were impactful.
“I told that to Jordan in the locker room — I think just finding out a role and making big-time plays like that is huge,” Mazzulla said. “He had a great defensive play on Giannis in the post, taking away his tendency — and he got fouled going up for an offensive rebound.”
In just thirteen minutes, Walsh logged a plus-minus of +10. His box score stats won’t jump out — he tallied 3 rebounds and 2 points on 1-3 FG — but his contributions didn’t go unnoticed by Mazzulla.
Entering this season, Walsh was one of a number of viable candidates for back-up perimeter minutes on the Celtics bench, a list that also includes Jaden Springer, Baylor Scheierman, even two-way player Drew Peterson. Walsh is two years younger than Springer and four years younger than Scheierman and Peterson, and appeared more likely headed toward another year in Maine.
On Monday night, it didn’t matter. When his number was called, Jordan Walsh was ready. He just might be ready for a significant NBA role, too.
