Third-year Celtics forward Jordan Walsh took over a starting role back on November 12, and held it for 20 games, up until Boston’s win over the Kings on New Year’s Day in Sacramento. In that game, he played only 5:20 and was largely replaced by Sam Hauser, so it was not a huge surprise when, for Saturday night’s game against the Clippers–the last of the Celtics’ five-game road trip–Walsh was out of the starting lineup, with Hauser taking the spot.
Before the game, Walsh talked about the impending demotion and put it on himself to do more.
“I think just leaving a print on the game,” Walsh said, via The Athletic. “I feel like the other team has to feel me. The other staff has to feel me. The other organization has to feel me. Every time I’m on the court, I’ve got to constantly make it hard for everybody else to kind of survive on the other team. I feel like I hadn’t been doing that. So, I’ve gotta make sure that I am doing that.”
And though he was not the starter, Walsh was a big factor in the 146-115 drubbing of L.A., scoring 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting (3-for-4 on 3-pointers) and adding 13 rebounds.
Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla on Sees Team Buying Into Changes
After the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said that he did not necessarily see the change n the starting lineup as a benching of Walsh, but more just playing for better matchups against the Clippers’ defense. It worked, as Boston scored 42 points and shot 62.5% from the field in the first period.
“I thought he was tremendous, 13 and 13,” Mazzulla said. “I think the idea here is like, he didn’t move to the bench—we went with Sam because we wanted—we knew what their lineups were gonna be, we wanted to get off to a great start on the offensive end. We knew what their coverages were. We got off to a quick start with some of their off-ball movements and it changed their matchups because we went with him.
“And I think it’s a testament to the guys that we are always gonna do what gives us the best chance to win, and everyone has embraced that. So, for him to understand that and for Sam to come out and play well and for Jordan to give us the production that he did, that just shows the mindset of the team.”
Jordan Walsh: ‘I’m Not Stranger to This’
While Walsh said he enjoyed his lengthy stint in the Celtics starting lineup, he was not going to take Saturday’s benching as a big negative, only as a reminder he needs to do more. He pointed out that, since he was a second-round pick in 2023, he has had to deal with a lot more adversity than backing up Hauser–he was in the G League for much of his rookie year and played only 7.8 minutes per game last season.
“It was definitely a good spurt for sure, but staying even keel is what’s more important,” Walsh said. “Never getting too high, never getting too low. …
“I’m no stranger to this, you know what I’m saying? I started where I had to always stay ready for my next opportunity. And if that’s the situation I’m in again now, that’s what I got to be ready for.”
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