Jordan Walsh reflects on ‘unacceptable’ Summer League performance, preseason improvements

It’s no secret that Jordan Walsh’s Summer League stint didn’t go as he expected. The 20-year-old missed 22 consecutive three-pointers, played sped up, and struggled to find his footing.

“I don’t ever want to hear about that game ever again,” Walsh said with a disappointed smile after a difficult first game in Las Vegas. Though his final game of Summer League was his best, Walsh was candid about how things went as a whole.

“I feel like I played pretty bad… I definitely expected more from myself, for sure,” Walsh told CelticsBlog in July after shooting 29.1% from the field across five games in the desert.

But, he bounced back with a solid preseason showing in which he averaged 9 points on 45.5% FG. And, though the stats undeniably looked better, it was the other more intangible things — his pace, defensive energy, and instincts — that stood out most.

At practice Friday, Walsh reflected on his poor Summer League performance.

“I was hearing feedback from family, the team, everybody,” Walsh said. “It was kind of like, ‘okay, yeah. I understand how I played was unacceptable to me.’ So, transitioning from that to a growth mindset — trying to become a more complete player, a more under control player.”

He also credited Jrue Holiday for helping him internalize the importance of slowing down.

“He’s told me, ‘whenever you are going 100 MPH you are going to make a mistake. But if you are going 80-85, you can make that right read, make the right decision and see the court clearly, 99% of the time.’” Walsh said.

Last week, Joe Mazzulla said he was impressed by Walsh’s improvements across the board.

“[He’s] defending at a high level, defending multiple positions, rebounding, and then making reads on the offensive end,” Mazzulla said. “Just really proud of his growth.”

And, his more veteran teammates have also taken notice of how things have gone.

“He’s gotten better, just all around,” Sam Hauser said. “That comes with kind of getting more game reps, having more confidence, and just getting used to playing with different guys. He showcased a lot in the preseason and we’re excited to see what he can do in the regular season.”

So, while just a few months ago, it seemed that Walsh was destined to spend most of the year in Maine, Mazzulla used him as a rotational player throughout the preseason, albeit with different starters sitting out most nights.

“He works hard at it,” Mazzulla said. “He’s starting to carve out a role and just showing a really good attitude towards it. So, it’s been fun to watch him grow.”

Still, whether the second-year forward will be in the mix for regular season NBA minutes to begin the season remains to be seen.

“I still don’t know,” Walsh said. “I probably won’t know until the first game, but I’m hoping for the best, and I can work until I get there.”

Becoming a consistent three-point shooter is a major point of emphasis, as was prioritizing the defensive end and focusing on the details. If he can turn into the type of defender scouts initially projected him to be, he might just find himself as a 3&D player on the Celtics.

“I feel like I’m growing into being more of an NBA player,” Walsh said. “I’m trying to prove that to everyone else, but also to prove it to myself.”

The feedback from the coaching staff has been positive.

“For the most part, they were just saying I played my role really well,” Walsh said. “They think I’ve matured a lot more than I was last year at this point. Even from Summer League to now, I played way better.”

Still, an improved preseason showing doesn’t mean that Jordan Walsh is satisfied. He knows he’s just at the beginning of what he hopes will be a long NBA career.

“I feel like I’ve gotta work on everything, honestly,” Walsh said. “I feel like there is still a lot of incomplete things in my game… there is still a lot of work to be done.”