NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Entering his third season as a Celtic, Jordan Walsh needed to make a statement.
After a rough second year in the Summer League and spot opportunities in Year 2, Walsh had a massive opportunity to crack the rotation in Jayson Tatum’s absence. Early on, it didn’t feel like those opportunities were coming Jordan’s way, and then he hit a corner dagger against Orlando on Nov. 9.
That shot set Walsh on the path to a solid season as a 3&D wing, earning 25 starts and 68 appearances, while establishing himself as the team’s go-to defender against opposing stars.
Advertisement
Walsh finished the regular season guarding star-caliber players 30.74% of the time, placing him in the 99th percentile (7th out of 523 players according to BBall Index).
Let’s look back on Walsh’s season, and what’s to come for the 22-year-old.
The Regular Season Breakout
The two biggest things that stood out about Walsh’s season were his defense and his 3-point shooting.
Defensively, Walsh made a legitimate impact on a team that was ranked fourth in defensive rating and first in opponent points allowed.
Two nights after the Orlando shot, Walsh guarded Tyrese Maxey in Philly for six minutes, holding him to 1-of-9 shooting. The very next night, it started the chain of 16 consecutive starts. The feeling was that Walsh was quickly establishing himself as a legitimate starting wing for the first time in his NBA career.
Advertisement
James Harden, Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero were all in the top-5 of Walsh’s list for most common matchups, and he often left with passing marks against his greatest challenges. There were even some Victor Wembanyama minutes (3:24 to be exact). Walsh’s versatility was finally on display.
As a perimeter player, what was once a huge point of emphasis in his game actually grew into a strength.
Walsh wasn’t a high-volume shooter by any stretch, averaging 1.8 attempts per game and 125 attempts in total, but when he fired them off, it became a reliable sight to see him drain it. He shot 38% on all threes, 42% on catch-and-shoot looks and 40% from the corners.
Something that also flies under the radar but was an…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/exit-interview-jordan-walsh-proved-100500190.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-05-27 10:05:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
