BOSTON — Jordan Walsh has been spending more time with the Celtics in recent weeks after getting plenty of run with the Maine Celtics. However, before Wednesday’s game against the Nets, the rookie had only made three appearances with Boston all season, playing 15 minutes of garbage time.
Needless to say, it was a bit of a surprise late in the first quarter on Wednesday night when Joe Mazzulla turned to the 19-year old as one of Boston’s first subs into the game. The Celtics were a bit shorthanded on the wing with Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Jaden Springer (ankle) sidelined but Mazzulla did have alternatives down the bench. Instead, he threw Walsh into the mix for his first meaningful pro minutes of his career.
The 6-foot-7 forward did not get on the scoreboard over his 19 minutes of action in Boston’s blowout 136-86 but looked to be up to the challenge defensively. Even before the game turned into rout, Walsh held his own against a speedy Nets team, positioning himself well on closeouts while also tallying a block and a steal. He also grabbed five rebounds. There was plenty of room for growth for Walsh on the offensive end but Joe Mazzulla had plenty of encouragement for the youngest member of the roster after the major opportunity.
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“Since Christmas, he came on the West Coast trip with us, and we made a conscious effort to just have an understanding of defense is how you make it in this league as a young player,” Mazzulla said. “What you do in the G-League from a statistical standpoint is important, but it’s more important about your daily approach – your professionalism and your defense, and I think he’s just really, really grown in that area. In the games I’ve watched, and in the feedback from Maine, and his approach here with us, his defense has drastically improved.
“So I think it’s an opportunity to give a young guy a chance, especially in a game where you’re looking for energy, you know it’s going to be a team win, and you’re down a couple guys. So I really like the way he has approached the defensive side of the ball.”
While Walsh looks like he could make an impact defensively sooner rather than later, it’s evident his offensive game still needs plenty of development. He turned the ball over once in transition after getting stripped and blew a bunny on the fast break on the following possession. After missing a couple of open 3s during his night, Walsh got plenty of constructive encouragement from his teammates.
“Jordan’s gonna be… he’s gonna be a really, really good player,” Payton Pritchard said. “Obviously that’s like his first real NBA minutes, so he was probably a little nervous and energetic, but you’ll see him like, I see him every day working and stuff, and he’s going to be a special player.”
“I think he would say he didn’t have his best game,” Kristaps Porzingis added. “I know, I’ve seen him in practice and stuff and I know he’s capable of having a much better game. But you could see his potential defensively, you could see his potential offensively because of his body and his athleticism. And what I like the most about him is he’s not afraid at all. He goes out there and shoots. He’s aggressive attacking. And if he keeps having this kind of mindset it’s only a matter of time until he has consistent success.”
With Jaden Springer likely joining the Celtics bench after getting a clean bill of health after the All-Star Break, the Celtics suddenly have some young defensive prospects with upside. While that duo probably won’t have much of an impact during this run, the team sounds optimistic about what lies ahead for Walsh.
“I think being in Maine was good for him, especially just learning NBA style,” Derick White said. “It’s different from college. And just be able to play the game, get up and down. But now that he’s back with us a little bit more, just seeing the pace, seeing how we communicate, things we’re doing on off days and just things like that, that you don’t really see unless you’re around us every day. So everybody wants the best for him and he’s done a great job, which is learning and listening, and he’s got a bright future for him.”
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