Jordan Walsh is starting to look like one of Boston’s best answers on the perimeter, and the numbers back up the eye test.
The Celtics don’t have a clean, obvious on-ball stopper in the starting group right now, but they do have a defender who’s been flying under the radar: Walsh. Last season, he flashed real value against some of the league’s toughest ball-handlers, including a strong playoff effort against Tyrese Maxey.
What makes Walsh stand out is how complete the defense is. According to BBall Index, he finished fifth in the NBA in point-of-attack defensive talent last season, trailing only Ausar Thompson, Cason Wallace, Dyson Daniels, and Jalen Suggs.
That metric blends on-ball defense, ball-screen defense, and matchup difficulty, and Walsh checked all three boxes. Even while playing fewer than 18 minutes per game, he was often the one Boston trusted with the hardest assignment, and he handled pressure and screens at a high level.
That kind of impact is exactly why he earned minutes in the first place, and it’s why his role could grow even more this season. Walsh still needs to bring more on offense, but the path is clear: keep hitting open threes, attack closeouts, crash the offensive glass, and run the floor in transition. If he does that, Boston can lean on him much more often.
The Celtics have plenty of defensive talent, but they can’t keep asking Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Derrick White to absorb the toughest matchups all season. That’s where Walsh, along with Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman, becomes valuable. If he keeps building on what he showed last year, there’s a real chance Walsh pushes himself into a bigger role - and maybe eventually onto an All-Defense team sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
Jaylen Brown Trade Debate Just Took On New Meaning For Celtics Fans
The Pistons standoff with Jalen Duren is the kind of offseason mess Celtics fans know all too well, because it brings back the logic behind Bostons decision to move on from Jaylen Brown before he ever reached extension eligibility. Boston was not just thinking about talent in a vacuum. The front office was looking at the larger picture, where a young players next contract can change the direction of a roster and force hard choices about the rest of the payroll.
For Celtics followers, the comparison lands because it goes beyond a simple talent-for-talent debate. Brown was good enough to raise the stakes, but the teams move was also about avoiding the kind of internal conflict and cap squeeze that can linger for years. With Duren now in the middle of his own negotiation fight, the old Brown debate suddenly feels less like hindsight and more like a reminder of how quickly a promising core can turn into a financial decision. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Could Face A Fast Paul George Reckoning In Boston
The Celtics offseason gamble on Paul George has already put Boston in an awkward place, because the move was never just about talent. Swapping Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for George and draft picks was always going to invite immediate scrutiny, especially with Georges health history hanging over the deal and every cold stretch or missed game in Boston carrying extra weight.
Now the conversation has moved a step further, with one speculative idea floating around that would send George to Brooklyn for Julius Randle and Terance Mann if things go south quickly. It is the kind of contingency talk that underscores how fragile this setup can be for the Celtics: if George does not hold up or produce, Boston could be forced into an early rethink of a trade that was supposed to reshape the roster, not reopen it. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchard Just Put Boston In A Tough Extension Spot
Payton Pritchards rise has put the Celtics in a tricky place as they weigh a potential extension for the guard. Boston is considering a deal that could run three years and reach $67 million, a number that reflects both how valuable he has become and how tight the teams financial margins already are. With salary cap restrictions hovering over every roster decision, this is not the kind of negotiation that figures to move quickly or cleanly.
The Celtics may also look at the recent extension Keyonte George signed with the Jazz as a possible reference point, the kind of deal that shows how a player can accept less than the open market might offer to stay put. Even so, Pritchards situation feels different because of Bostons cap squeeze and the need to balance present value against future flexibility. For now, the talks appear headed for a longer runway, with the real pressure point still to come. [Read more 🡒]