“I thought he was very good, and I thought he made some winning plays throughout the entire game.” Following Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury and a number of offseason moves, the Celtics look different this season compared to the last few years. While this has led to a slower start than Boston fans are used to, it has allowed unexpected contributors to arise, one of which being Jordan Walsh. Walsh has been a member of the Celtics since 2023, but has primarily been a role player the last two years. This season he has become a more important piece for Boston, with his minutes increasing from 7. 8 to 17. 3 per game. A main reason he has become a consistent player off the bench even moving into the starting lineup in the last two games has been his defensive ability. Walsh is now being relied upon to guard the opposing team’s best player, and he has taken this challenge head-on. He has faced Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey in the clutch, guarded Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr., and on Sunday faced former MVP James Harden. Walsh’s effort defensively has begun to impress his teammates and coaches, including head coach Joe Mazzulla. “I thought he was very good, and I thought he made some winning plays throughout the entire game,” Mazzulla told reporters. “And that’s the role. That’s what you have to become as a guy that can guard anybody on any given night, and he’s embracing that.” While Mazzulla has taken notice now, he didn’t get there by himself. Walsh remembers a conversation he had with Jaylen Brown discussing the team’s defense and what needed to change, and how Brown helped Mazzulla realize his ability. “We were talking about how we felt like we needed a guy who can go in and guard the best player every night,” Walsh remembers talking to Jaylen Brown about. “He kept saying to me, he said, ‘I think it’s you. I think it could be you.’ I was like, ‘All right. I’m with you. I think so, too.’” As Tatum recovers from injury, Brown has stepped into more of a leadership role with the Celtics, and has taken it upon himself to talk with Mazzulla about what he thinks is best. In this case, that meant vouching for Walsh’s defensive prowess. “‘I’m gonna have a conversation with Joe, and we can go from there,’” Walsh continued to recall Brown saying. “I was like, ‘All right, cool.’” This conversation seemingly helped as the Celtics pulled out back-to-back victories over the Grizzlies and the Clippers in his last two games as a starter. Sitting now at 7-7, the Celtics will hope that their newfound defensive presence will help them improve and go on a run heading into the middle of the season.
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2025/11/18/jordan-walsh-has-found-his-role-with-the-celtics/
