BOSTON — In the aftermath of the Celtics’ blowout win over the Grizzlies, Jordan Walsh had just one goal: Find the game ball. Well, his game ball soon. After all, the C’s rookie was fresh off scoring his first NBA bucket — naturally, he had to get himself the souvenir.
The process was simple. Walsh admitted he remembered the odd Giannis Antetkounmpo situation, where he wanted to get the game ball after a 64-point outing. But the Pacers wanted the ball for Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first NBA point in the same game. Fortunately for Walsh, nobody else really had a claim to the game ball Sunday, so he retrieved it from a helpful soul who was looking for the rookie.
“We just got a stop, we just got a rebound,” Walsh said describing his first bucket. “Oshae (Brissett) was pushing it in transition. I’m taught to run to the corner. So I just sprinted out and nobody was in front of me. So Oshae kicked it ahead, I caught it and I saw a lane to the rim and I was like, ‘This is the time.’ And I just jumped as high as I could and just dunked the ball. After that moment, I was like, ‘I’m getting that game ball.’”
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Walsh’s first NBA bucket was a dunk that came with 8:03 left in Sunday’s game. He did everything right, including slamming it home. Walsh revealed he spoke to Kristaps Porzingis about the veteran’s first NBA field goal, and Porzingis said it’d be cool if Walsh got a dunk. That’s exactly what happened as the rookie clearly values the ball, posting with it on social media. Here’s a look at the dunk, too.
Walsh played in his third NBA game, so he had a couple earlier opportunities to pick up that first field goal. His first field goal attempt was a 3-pointer during his NBA debut, which came Jan. 19 against the Spurs. Beyond that, Walsh has played under control and within himself, making the right pass as he didn’t force up shots in hopes of getting a bucket.
“At the end of the day, you gotta play the right way,” Walsh said. “You always gotta feed your dogs, I guess you could say. Just knowing that they trust me in that position to make the right plays is the most important thing.”
Walsh doesn’t turn 20 for another month, so the rookie still has plenty of time to round out his game and become a contributor. He’s spent the bulk of his time with the G-League Maine Celtics thus far, though he’s had a few rounds traveling with the NBA squad. Walsh said there’s a lot of value being around the veterans and coaches, including practices where he can measure his game on a daily basis against the best.
The Celtics drafted Walsh at 38th overall in the 2023 draft, hoping he can one day develop into a 3-and-D wing down the line. He’s not quite ready yet, but he’s shown flashes at Summer League and at the G-League level. All that’s left is to continue improving his game, and nights like Sunday showed there are steps along the way, like his first NBA bucket.
“What stood out is his growth as a player and understanding the most important thing is defense,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I loved his defensive positioning and his defensive physicality, and his instincts. And I think that’s gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year, and I think that’s a challenge for any young player, is really buying into the fact that regardless of what you think you are offensively or how it went in college, you have to play defense, you have to learn defense — and he’s done a great job of that.”
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