jordan-walsh-getty.png
Getty Images

Less than a minute into the Boston Celtics' matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 11, Jordan Walsh stole a pass from Ryan Rollins, which quickly turned into a Jaylen Brown dunk on the other end. On the ensuing possession, Walsh picked up Kevin Porter Jr. full-court, and eventually took the ball from him as well. 

A few hours later, following a Celtics' loss despite 20 points, eight rebounds and three steals from Walsh, Porter approached Walsh and told him, "thank you for making me better tonight." Bucks forward Bobby Portis, a fellow Arkansas product, told Walsh that the next time the teams play, he needs Walsh's jersey for his home gym. 

Porter and Portis' comments came less than a week after Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves said that he could see Walsh "being one of the best defenders in the league for many years to come." 

How did Walsh go from making 61 appearances -- largely in garbage time -- over his first two seasons, to earning the respect of veterans around the league? "A hunger to be the best," he said. 

The former second-round pick has had a front row seat to greatness since entering the league. Boston won a title in his rookie season, and he's already been able to count Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis and Derrick White as teammates. Walsh knows that to reach their level some day, "there's only one way to get there, and that's working hard." 

But despite all of the effort Walsh put in over the summer, and the Celtics' roster upheaval, he needed an assist from Brown to crack the rotation. Walsh began the season with four DNPs in the first eight games, and Brown, who sits next to Walsh on team flights, said that he would speak to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla about giving the youngster a chance. 

It's not what you know, it's who you know. 

"We were talking about how we felt like we needed a guy who can go in and guard the best player every night," Walsh told reporters in Boston on Nov. 18, a few days into his emergence. "[Brown] 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.' So he's like, 'I'm gonna have a conversation with Joe, and we can go from there.' I was like, 'All right, cool.'"

It's unclear when Brown went to Mazzulla, or exactly what he said -- on Nov. 18, Mazzulla acknowledged their conversation and said Brown's leadership "goes beyond what he does on the court" -- but Walsh was inserted into the rotation on Nov. 5 against the Washington Wizards. He ran with that opportunity and has made Brown look like a genius. 

"It's huge," Walsh said of Brown's support, adding that the former Finals MVP is a "good mentor" and someone he goes to for "guidance" as he tries to make his way in the league. "I feel like I'm getting to a point where he can trust me night-in, night-out," Walsh added. 

Walsh's breakout performance came during the Celtics' narrow defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 11 when he played nearly the entire second half and had a number of brilliant individual defensive moments against Tyrese Maxey in the fourth quarter. Maxey's 5-of-17 shooting performance that night remains his worst of the season, and per the NBA's tracking data, he was 1 of 9 when Walsh was guarding him. 

After shutting down Maxey, Walsh earned a start the next night against the Memphis Grizzlies and hasn't left the starting lineup since then. The Celtics are 10-4 with Walsh in that role, which has helped them climb to fourth place in the Eastern Conference in what was supposed to be a gap year. 

Brad Stevens sheds light on Celtics' trade deadline plans as Jayson Tatum's potential return looms
James Herbert
Brad Stevens sheds light on Celtics' trade deadline plans as Jayson Tatum's potential return looms

During that stretch, a number of other stars have had the same experience as Maxey. 

  • Cade Cunningham had five points on 0-of-6 shooting in 28 possessions against Walsh in the Celtics' win over the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 26
  • Donovan Mitchell had four points on 2-of-8 shooting in 43 possessions against Walsh in the Celtics' win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 30
  • Reaves scored three points on 0-of-3 shooting in 23 possessions against Walsh in the Celtics' win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 5. 

Walsh doesn't have a favorite defensive moment this season, but he is "proud" of "having a collection of stats" like those noted above. "That's the type of stuff where the resume builds up," he said. Per databallr, Walsh has an opponent field goal percentage differential of -7.7%, which ranks in the 96th percentile in the league.

Standing 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, and boasting high-level athleticism (particularly laterally), Walsh has all the physical tools necessary to be a versatile defender in the modern NBA. He also has the right approach, even if he sometimes crosses a line. "He's just tenacious," Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman said. "He's non-stop, playing super hard, super physical." 

Walsh's relentless nature helps him wear out opponents, but also gets him in foul trouble. He's averaging seven fouls per 100 possessions and has picked up at least four fouls in 11 of his 22 appearances. Long-term, he'll need to clean that up, or there will be more games like the Celtics' loss to the Pistons on Tuesday, when he was limited to 18 minutes because of foul trouble. 

Walsh is playing at an extremely high level on defense, but he's always had potential on that side of the ball. He's been able to keep his spot in the starting lineup because his offense has finally caught up. In 11 games as a starter, Walsh is averaging 9.7 points on absurd 64.6/50/87 shooting splits. 

Walsh said that finding the right "pockets to be able to be aggressive," has been important, but again pointed to "the work" as the key to his success. "The media doesn't see it, sometimes my teammates don't see it because I'm in there on off days, I'm in there at night… the backbone, the foundation of getting better and being able to affect the game is the work you put in," he said. 

The improvements Walsh has made, particularly with his rim finishing and 3-point shooting, are staggering. 

SeasonRim attempts/GAt rim FG%3-point attempts/G3-point %

Lone season at Arkansas

3.2

55%

2

27.8%

First two NBA seasons

1.7

57.1%

1

26.5%

As a starter this season

4.6

72.5%

2.5

50%

Numbers via Synergy Sports

Walsh isn't going to shoot like this forever, but if he can be a reliable catch-and-shoot threat from behind the arc, he projects as a legit 3-and-D rotation guy for the Celtics even after Tatum returns. That would be a major win for him and the team as they try to figure out their path forward. 

"I feel like every level I've been at in my career, I've been that kind of underdog type of guy who's been overlooked because 'he can't do this, he can't do that,'" Walsh said. "I work my butt off and I prove all that wrong and it's like, 'now he's here.'"

The Celtics know it, and now, so does the rest of the league.