Early in the season, Joe Mazzulla delivered a message to Jordan Walsh that caught him off guard.
“You were dead in the water, and now you are back alive,” Mazzulla told him.
“I was like, huh? What do you mean?” Walsh recalled. “I kinda went and asked a bunch of people, like, what does he mean by this? I’m confused. I don’t know how to take this. It was funny at the time. We joke about it now. But it was funny, and a little scary.”
The third-year pro has come a long way since then.
Through Boston’s first eight games of the season, Walsh logged four DNP-CDs and totaled just 24 minutes, the fewest of any Celtic on a standard contract over that stretch. Most of those minutes (18:42) came in the second half of a blowout loss to Houston. The rest were garbage-time, aside from a brief 1:46 cameo in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden, his only meaningful run that night.
After struggling to see the court in the first two weeks of the season, Walsh got a chance in early November against the Wizards, and something clicked. After a sluggish start for the Celtics, Walsh got his chance to make an impact, and he did. His energy shifted the game, and he finished with seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist in what was then a career-high 23:51.
He played his way into the rotation that night, and by Game 13, he had cracked the starting lineup. He went on to start 21 straight games, with the Celtics going 15-5 over that stretch. Although he fell out of the starting lineup in January, he has remained a key player in Boston’s rotation and will be in the postseason, as well.
Defense has always been Walsh’s calling card, dating back to Arkansas. This season, it's what kept him on the court consistently. He’s been tasked with guarding some of the league’s best scorers, and has more than held his own:
CJ McCollum: 6–23 FG, 2 turnovers
James Harden: 4–9 FG, 1 turnover
Cade Cunningham: 4–13 FG, 4 turnovers
LaMelo Ball: 3–11 FG, 4 turnovers
Donovan Mitchell: 2–8 FG, 2 turnovers
Scottie Barnes: 1–4 FG, 1 turnover
Kawhi Leonard: 1–5 FG, 1 turnover
Franz Wagner: 2–7 FG, 1 turnover
Karl-Anthony Towns: 3–8 FG, 1 turnover
The NBA tracking data isn’t perfect, but in this case, it aligns with the eye test. Walsh’s defensive intensity is starting to build a reputation around the league.
“He just plays hard as crap, every single possession,” Lakers star Austin Reaves said back in December. “His ability, his length, his athleticism. He’s physically gifted. Moves really well. I could see him being one of the best defenders in the league for many years to come. He made shots tonight. Good player.”
That reputation will be tested in round one.
The Celtics open the postseason against the 76ers and Tyrese Maxey, one of the league’s most dynamic scorers. Maxey averaged a career-high 28.3 points this season, ranking fifth in total points (1,980) and fourth in field goals made (694). He scores at all three levels, is relentless at the rim, and is very efficient from deep on high volume (36.7% on 8.6 attempts).
Dating back to the 2023-24 season, he’s averaged 28.0 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in 10 games against Boston, including five performances with at least 30 points and five assists.
This is where Walsh’s defense will be tested.
According to the NBA tracking data, Walsh guarded the all-star guard for seven minutes across two games, holding him to 1-of-10 (10%) shooting from the field and 0-of-3 from three. Maxey had four points, one assist, and Walsh had a block on him.
“I think the biggest thing is kind of going over the past, what mistakes we went through, what we did wrong, especially me guarding him [Maxey], as the guy who was on most of the time in the games that I played. So, I think it’s just a review,” Walsh said. “I’m with JB [Jaylen Brown] now, talking to him about things that Maxey doesn’t like, things that get under his skin. Kind of like stuff that’s beyond the scouting report that I’m trying to learn and apply. But I think that’s the biggest thing, for sure.”
In the final two matchups, Maxey scored 54 total points but shot just 17-of-51 (33.3%) from the field against Boston, with Walsh playing a key role in making him work.
“Just taking away tendencies and then knowing the small things that get under his skin,” Walsh said. “But I think the biggest thing is, like I’ve been saying all year, not letting the guy do what they want to do. Make them go to their second option, their third option, their second move, stuff like that. Like, if he wants to go right and do a step-back, just don’t let him do that. Make him do something else. And then, usually, we’ll live with the end result.”
Of course, slowing Maxey will be a team effort. But Walsh figures to be one of the primary catalysts in that fight.
Not long ago, he was “dead in the water.”
Now, he might be one of Boston’s X-factors in Round 1.
