The Celtics have a simple decision to make before Tuesday night’s matchup with the 76ers: put Jordan Walsh on Tyrese Maxey from the jump.
That’s the cleanest way to open the game, and it gives Boston a defender with the length and foot speed to bother Philadelphia’s star guard right away. Derrick White can absolutely handle the assignment too. His screen navigation and ability to stay connected to Maxey are elite, and he does a great job of getting himself into position to contest shots.
Still, Walsh has already shown he can do the job. When these teams met in Philadelphia around this time last year, he held the season’s fifth-leading scorer to 1/9 shooting as his primary defender. In the fourth quarter, the two-time All-Star was 1/4 with Walsh on him, and Maxey finished 1/3 in crunch time, which is the final five minutes of a game within five points.
There’s also a practical reason to lean this way. Walsh is the kind of player who can be rewarded with a tough assignment and stay locked in because of it. Boston did something similar Sunday night in its 117-97 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, when Joe Mazzulla started Mike Conley and gave a respected veteran a nod for his role as a player, mentor, and almost like another member of the coaching staff.
Walsh has been in the Celtics’ starting five for six of their first 10 games, including the previous one before Sunday’s win in Milwaukee. That came in Boston’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA Cup game. If he’s started 60 percent of the time to begin the season, then sitting him against the Sixers and the guard who has taken over as their franchise player would stand out.
If Walsh doesn’t get the call, Hugo Gonzalez is the other name to watch. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to fit the assignment, and with Boston’s wing rotation crowded, the second-year standout from Real Madrid has had a quiet start. A spot like this could give his 2026-27 campaign a little jolt.
The Celtics don’t need to force Derrick White into the Maxey matchup from the opening tip. If Philadelphia wants to create that look and Boston is comfortable starting and finishing with White on Maxey, that’s a reasonable plan. But with the chance to manage White’s workload and give a young wing a meaningful job, Walsh - or Gonzalez - makes the most sense.
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