Youth Movement Powering Celtics’ Depth as Jordan Walsh Emerges in Key Role
BOSTON - When the Celtics lost five of their top eight rotation players from last season, there were more questions than answers about how the team would fill the gaps. Brad Stevens, Boston’s President of Basketball Operations, knew he still had a core of proven veterans - Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard among them - but the real variable was the group of young, relatively untested wings waiting in the wings.
Now, nearly halfway through the season, that youth movement isn’t just holding the line - it’s pushing the Celtics forward. And at the center of it all is Jordan Walsh, who’s gone from developmental project to reliable starter.
Walsh has started the last 14 games, and the Celtics have gone 10-4 in that stretch. He’s averaging 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting a blistering 64.6% from the field and 50% from deep.
But it’s not just the numbers - it’s the way he’s defending. Walsh is already making a name for himself as one of the league’s most disruptive perimeter defenders, taking on assignments like Tyrese Maxey, Austin Reaves, and Donovan Mitchell and holding his own.
For a player who didn’t crack the rotation in his first two seasons, this leap is significant - but not necessarily surprising given the opportunity that’s opened up with Jayson Tatum sidelined due to an Achilles injury.
“I knew he had no prayer on the first team,” Stevens said with a grin, referencing the loaded 2023-24 championship roster. “That team was really good, and last year’s team was basically the first team. So it was going to be hard to crack that one, too.”
Walsh was drafted at just 19 years old in 2023, and Stevens was quick to point out that he’s still younger than many of the college prospects he scouts today. That context matters. Development isn’t always linear, and sometimes it takes the right moment - and the right roster circumstances - for a player to shine.
“These guys are young,” Stevens said. “I go to college games almost every weekend, and I’m watching prospects that are the same age or older some of the time. So you have to give them the grace of time.”
Walsh has earned his minutes with defense, but his offensive game is quietly expanding. He’s not just spotting up anymore - he’s starting to attack closeouts, make smart passes off the dribble, and create plays within the flow of the offense. That’s the kind of growth that gets noticed.
“He’s got a role,” Stevens said. “And I think Joe [Mazzulla] and his staff have done an excellent job of defining what those guys need to do to be good.
You start to see Jordan now occasionally more driving closeouts and dumping it to Neemy [Neemias Queta] for a dunk, or kicking it out off of a roll. Your role expands when you show that you can consistently be good in the simplest of things.
And I say simplest - it’s hard to play that hard, especially against the guys he’s guarding.”
Walsh isn’t the only young Celtic making waves. Josh Minott, acquired from Minnesota, has tripled his minutes from last season and is contributing 7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. He’s bringing energy and athleticism off the bench and giving Boston another versatile option on the wing.
Baylor Scheierman, who spent most of last year in the G League, has carved out a consistent role in the rotation. He’s averaging 12 minutes per game and shooting a red-hot 44.7% from beyond the arc - a crucial boost for a team that thrives on spacing and ball movement.
And then there’s 19-year-old Gonzalez, who hasn’t spent a single day with the Maine Celtics. Despite his age and inexperience, he’s averaging nearly 12 minutes per game and shooting 47.8% from three. He’s also flashed some serious defensive potential - the kind of raw tools that could develop into something special with time and reps.
Stevens was quick to credit the Celtics’ veterans - not just the stars, but the guys who aren’t seeing big minutes - for helping to create a culture where young players can thrive.
“All of our young wings have shown that they’re capable of something,” Stevens said. “And I think that’s largely due to the fact that we have all of these older guys that are really - even some of the guys that aren’t playing as much right now, like Xavier [Tillman], Chris [Boucher], and Luka [Garza] - that are giving them that environment.
And I think it starts with Jaylen. I think it starts with Derrick, Payton - obviously, those guys that have been there.”
That leadership has been critical, especially in a season where the Celtics could have easily faltered after a rocky start and major roster turnover.
“It’s not easy when you go through the changes we went through, and the talent that’s lost, to have that kind of patience,” Stevens said. “To start out 0-3, and to just be focused on getting better - I thought it was a really good sign.”
The Celtics may have lost a lot in the offseason, but what they’ve gained in return - a deeper, more dynamic rotation with young talent stepping up - could prove just as valuable in the long run. And if Walsh and company continue on this trajectory, Boston might be looking at more than just a bridge year. They could be building something sustainable - with a new generation of Celtics ready to carry the torch.