Jordan Walsh is entering his second season in the NBA with the Celtics, but he said the team is still treating him like a rookie until opening night. He struggled during the Summer League and entered training camp looking like he was a little behind the rest of the team on Boston’s deep bench.
After Summer League, Walsh flipped a switch during training camp and in the beginning of the preseason. He’s continued to improve and the game is beginning to click for him while he carves a role for himself on this team. Walsh is showing to be the two-way, 3-and-D player he was in college and with the Maine Celtics last year.
In the preseason, Walsh is averaging 9.5 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent from behind the arc. He also is averaging 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this preseason. It was a slow start for Walsh, but he’s since outplayed Jaden Springer and rookie Baylor Scheierman as he’s in a position to earn minutes off the bench for Boston.
After their fourth preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, head coach Joe Mazzulla shared that he’s impressed with Walsh’s growth and mentioned he’s carving a role for himself in Boston.
On Sunday, Walsh was given the starting nod and finished with a 16-point and 10-rebound double-double. He went 6-of-12 shooting from the field and only made one shot from behind the arc, but he’s taking the right shots, making the right reads, and doing it all with confidence.
After the game, Walsh was asked if he tweaked his shot in the offseason as his overall shooting has noticeably improved. He told the media he didn’t change anything, just more of his shots are falling in the hoop.
Walsh has a chance to earn rotation minutes in Boston this season. His overall shooting has improved, he can get to the basket with ease, and he’s shown to drive closeouts and absorb contact.
How many minutes Walsh could see is still unknown, but he’s shown enough in the preseason to turn Mazzulla’s tune on him.
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