The Boston Celtics might have to utilize rookie wing Jordan Walsh sooner than later this season.

The C’s selected Walsh 38th overall as their only pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He’s a 6-foot-7 force with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and has great defensive instincts. 

Boston signed Walsh to a four-year contract worth $7.6 million using the second round pick exception which was introduced in the new CBA this year and features a team option, which Walsh has at the end of his rookie contract.

With unknown statuses of key offseason additions Oshae Brissett and Kristaps Porzingis, perhaps it opens a door for Walsh to get on the court sooner than later as positional depth is weak.

Both Brissett (knee) and Porzingis (plantar fasciitis) withdrew themselves from the FIBA tournament due to injuries that appeared after they were added in the offseason.

The wing depth behind All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum is thinner than it’s been in a handful of years. It leaves Brissett, Sam Hauser, Al Horford,  and maybe Dalano Banton as depth pieces behind Tatum and Brown. 

It’s worth mentioning that Banton has only logged two percent of his minutes from outside the guard position for his career. So it’s going to be interesting to see how Boston uses him as he’ll be needed more as a wing than a guard for the Celtics.

We’ll likely see Porzingis and Rob Williams in the starting lineup, which would make Rob the five and Porzingis the four. It’s fair to assume that both Rob and Porzingis will be the five when sharing the court with Horford who relied heavily on his 3-point shooting last season, attempting 325 3-pointers to only 154 2-pointers.

The last time we saw Walsh on the court was in Summer League where he averaged 16 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting from the field and 40.7 percent on his 3-pointers. He also produced 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game, looking like the best player on the floor this summer.

Walsh showcased himself as a legitimate player and potential contributor as soon as his rookie season, which is why we saw the type of contract Boston created for him that allows him to be on the Celtics 15-man roster and float to Maine during the year if needed.

The important aspect of Walsh’s contract is the fact that he’ll be with the Celtics for the playoffs. Too often we’ve seen this team get fatigued by the time they reach the conference finals without having any reinforcements.

Celtics fans should expect Walsh to be with Boston more often than not during his rookie season and progress into a legitimate contributor throughout his first year here. 

Walsh was a five-star recruit only two years ago and became an All-American last year at Arkansas as a freshman. 

Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman identified Walsh as a young 18-year-old senior in high school who recruited him and said that he saw NBA qualities in him early on.

Jordan Walsh is poised to be a special player in Boston.

Follow us on Twitter @CelticsFiles

Follow me on Twitter @Trombino20

Follow us on Instagram @CelticsFiles