BOSTON — There isn’t too much competition across the Celtics rotation during this preseason, which is no surprise for a team returning 13 players from a championship team. The absence of Kristaps Porzingis for the first two months of the year does open the door for a wildcard to emerge down the bench, particularly following the departure of Oshae Brissett via free agency.
Jordan Walsh is the youngest player on the Celtics roster at 20 years old yet he finds himself firmly in the mix for said opportunity after the first two weeks of training camp. Walsh saw big minutes with the second unit during his first two preseason games and earned some praise from Joe Mazzulla Thursday for his performances.
“Just defensively, being able to be versatile and guard all five positions,” Mazzulla said. “Offensively, being able to be versatile, knowing what the matchup is, knowing what the coverage is, and knowing what the right solution to the coverage is. And I thought he did a really good job on both ends of the floor.”
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Walsh is coming off a solid rookie season spent mostly with the Maine Celtics but he had a brutal week with Boston in summer league in July, particularly with his 3-point shooting. Walsh admitted he needed to readjust his mindset after the disappointing performances and Mazzulla is pleased with how he’s made that switch three months later.
“He’s approached with, like, great trust,” Mazzulla said. ‘I think it’s hard for young guys to trust that the most simplest things you’ll be rewarded for, and it’s hard to trust that when you’re young. And so I get the perspective that he had, but he’s made a conscious change in his perspective of just trusting that the most important things are the simple things, and that’s what you’re being judged on, and that’s kind of how you grow. And I think the first two games, he’s really shown that.”
Walsh will be battling more experienced players including Jaden Springer off the bench for opportunities that could come on nights with Porzingis and Al Horford sidelined. Rookie first round pick Baylor Scheierman could be a factor as well once he learns Boston’s system. For now, it looks like Walsh could have an early leg up on the competition.
“It’s affirming that the simple things will get rewarded,” Mazzulla said. “And I think it’s the way that you have to hold those guys accountable to that is just giving them a clear understanding of like, ‘these are the things that you’re being judged on, not the external stuff that you can’t control or that you may think is important. And so here’s what’s actually important, and when you do that, you’re going to get better and you’re going to help our team.’ And he’s done a good job of adjusting for them.”
