Celtics rookie Jordan Walsh was born less than 20 miles from the American Airlines Center. He played his high school ball about seven miles from the arena, where, as a freshman, he had a buzzer-beating dunk in front of 11,153 people to give Faith Family Academy its first state championship in school history.
This is where it all started for Walsh. It’s where he fell in love with basketball.
As a kid, he remembers shooting around at the American Airlines Center and attending Mavericks games—though he wasn’t necessarily rooting for them.
“Not really,” Walsh said with a smile when asked if he grew up a Mavericks fan. “I was a big KD [Kevin Durant] fan growing up. I wasn’t huge with Dallas, but, obviously, it was the home team, so I supported them, but I was definitely a bigger KD fan.”
The 20-year-old had a bright smile on his face as he emerged from the tunnel and onto the floor for practice at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday. Walsh, who was drafted 38th overall by the Celtics in last year’s draft, had been hoping for a date with the Mavericks and was thrilled to return to where his journey began.
“It’s kinda crazy how things come full circle. This has been pretty cool,” Walsh said. “I was rooting for Dallas, hoping that would we meet up with them. It happened, and now I’m excited that we’re here. Hopefully, we can take care of business and do whatever it takes to win.”
“I loved coming here,” Walsh added. “It feels good to be back.”
It’s been quite the rookie year for Walsh. The 6-foot-7 wing spent most of his time with Boston’s G-League affiliate in Maine, where he made his mark, averaging 14.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, helping lead the Maine Celtics to their first-ever G-League Finals appearance.
Now back with the big league squad, he finds himself on the grandest stage in basketball – the NBA Finals, with the Celtics only two games away from potential glory. Despite not seeing any action this postseason, Walsh is making the most of this opportunity and isn’t taking it lightly.
“It’s been fun. I’ve learned a lot. It’s kind of been eye-opening. I’ve talked to some guys that have never been past the first or second round,” Walsh said. “So it’s kind of cool to know that in the first year, I get to experience what the NBA has to offer being in the Finals.”
“I definitely don’t want to take it for granted because I know it’s a special moment, a special time – rare. So I’m just taking in as much information as I can.”
His time will come. The Celtics have high hopes for the Arkansas product, envisioning him as a three-and-D wing. The second-round draft pick certainly has the intangibles with his 6-foot-7 frame and 7-foot-2 wingspan – providing size and defensive versatility. Notably, he shot 36.1% on 5.7 three-point attempts per game with Maine this season.
“Jordan Walsh is going to be really, really good,” Xavier Tillman said on Walsh. “He is a special guy. He walked into the gym, no stretch, and windmill dunked. I was mind blown.”
Walsh is embracing this unique opportunity to learn from a talented team, while staying committed to his development, putting in extra work before and after practices and seeking guidance from Boston’s player development coaches.
“Catch and shoot confidence,” Walsh said on where he has improved the most this season. “Shooting threes, and then just taking care of the ball in general.”
For now, Walsh, who became the first basketball player from Faith Family Academy to make it to the NBA, savors his front-row seat, back where it all started, with hopes of becoming the first Faith Family Academy alumnus to win an NBA Finals.
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