Celtics rookie Jordan Walsh is showing exactly what you want to see at Summer League
Don’t expect Walsh to replace Grant Williams, but early returns are encouraging.
Jordan Walsh put together another encouraging Summer League performance on Wednesday, his second in three attempts. And once again, it was full of the kind of promising signs that you want to see from a prospect when he steps onto the court for the first time in Las Vegas.
With a 25-point outburst – which came along with eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal – Walsh vaulted himself into encouraging company among the leaders in Las Vegas. Points per game at Summer League isn’t exactly a predictor of future success, and we don’t have to pretend Walsh will be Victor Wembanyama (in part because no one has ever been Victor Wembanyama in the history of … well, basketball).
But we also don’t have to pretend that the last week of basketball from Walsh means nothing just because it took place during Summer League.
One doesn’t have to stretch the imagination far to watch plays like this and see potential – the choppy feet at the top of the key, the long arms extended high and out, the lightning-quick swipe that might get him in foul trouble at times but also is reminiscent of one rotation player the Celtics bid farewell to this summer (with the size of the other one). You don’t have to think Walsh will be a point guard down the line to raise an eyebrow at the way he brought the ball up the floor himself, or at his timing as he found Justin Champagnie for a layup. Coaches who have watched him since high school insist that his ability to grab the ball and go is one of the best parts of his offensive game. His 3-point shot looks significantly better than it did in college – likely a product of hours in the gym that began as soon as his lone season at Arkansas came to an end. He can even get to the middle of the floor and score off the bounce a little.
Walsh inked a four-year, $7.6 million deal with the Celtics already – a bit of a statement of faith from Brad Stevens, who recently signed last year’s second-round pick J.D. Davison to his second two-way deal in as many years.
But the (very) early returns on that gamble look good. The Celtics spent very little to secure a rookie on a long-term deal. In exchange, Walsh gets some security, as well as the concentrated, assisted development of an NBA coaching staff. If he turns into a good player, he could be part of the “x” that solves the algebra of the new CBA – cost-controlled production for the next three seasons as Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaylen Brown (we … assume?) take up most of the salary cap.
The four-year deal also gives the Celtics plenty of time to develop Walsh, which is important because he almost certainly isn’t ready for the rotation quite yet. He can’t really finish through contact at the rim. His aggressive defense makes him a foul magnet, especially against craftier players at this level. His hot start from behind the arc – 4-for-6 in Game 1 – papered over his 3-for-13 performance in the last two games. That’s not a bad thing – presumably, Walsh was given the green light for absolutely any spot-up 3-pointer he can squeeze off in Las Vegas, and six attempts per game is a good starting point.
But before you anoint Walsh as the immediate successor to Grant Williams, remember that Williams shot 39.5 percent from deep last year on 3.7 attempts in the actual NBA where the defenders are longer and quicker and better. Walsh might be improving as a 3-point shooter, but Williams was a proven one.
On the other end, Williams worked tirelessly to become a solid defender, because that’s what the NBA requires of its defenders. The player Walsh picked off in the clip above was Max Christie – a young guard showing encouraging flashes of his own for the Lakers. Christie was a second-round pick for the Lakers last year who spent much of the season in the G-League but played in 41 games.
Last year, Williams was asked to guard the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, while moving his feet quickly enough to stay in front of guards. That kind of versatility is rare and a direct result of hours spent in the gym, as well as experience at the NBA level. Walsh appears to be a hard worker, but he can’t replicate the high-leverage situations Williams found himself in over the last few years in Boston, and picking off Max Christie’s dribble certainly does not equate to standing in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday on one possession.
So no, Walsh is not an immediate answer to the problems that the new CBA appears to have inflicted on Brad Stevens and the Celtics this offseason. But presumably, the Celtics weren’t trying to solve those problems with the 38th pick in the draft. The second round is for long-term projection, and the Celtics would do themselves some real favors by hitting on a second-round pick or two over the next few years (they certainly have enough bites at the apple to do so).
In other words, feel more than free to be excited about Jordan Walsh. He can get himself on the floor a little bit this year with his defense. He can keep himself thereby knocking down some 3-pointers. If he does those two things consistently, the rest of his development will keep him in the NBA for a long time. He started his first Summer League game as an intriguing young prospect with a bright future and a chance to be a useful player for the Celtics down the road, and a week later, he has a three-game resume supporting that projection.
That resume doesn’t suggest he’s a replacement for Grant Williams or Marcus Smart, but it’s a good start. A good start isn’t meaningless, even at Summer League.
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