Jordan Walsh didn’t pile up the kind of numbers that jump off a box score, but in Boston’s 107-103 win over the New York Knicks, he made life miserable for Jalen Brunson. That was the assignment, and the fourth-year wing handled it like a veteran.
Walsh spent plenty of his night attached to Brunson, and the results were striking. The 2025-26 NBA Finals MVP went 2-for-5 with Walsh as the primary defender, finished with five points and one assist, and never got to the free-throw line in those matchups.
Even the baskets he did make came with heavy resistance. One was a tough mid-range jumper over close coverage.
Another came after Walsh pinched in to stop OG Anunoby from driving, then sprinted back out to Brunson, who still buried a three. Walsh stayed disciplined and didn’t foul on the closeout.
From the winning locker room, Paul George didn’t miss the point.
"I thought he was special. I thought he set the tone," said Paul George from the winning locker room.
"Obviously, Jalen is a handful, but for a young guy, he can be a lot. Jordan took the challenge.
He did a great job, navigating being physical without being overly physical. And I thought he gave him some good looks defensively to frustrate him or try to get him out of a little rhythm."
At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Walsh has the tools to bother elite guards and wings. What makes him more than just a physical piece, though, is the work he puts in away from the spotlight. He studies tendencies, and that film work shows up when he’s asked to read the game rather than just react to it.
Joe Mazzulla wants Walsh taking the toughest matchup. That’s part of why he’s in the starting five to open the season. It lets Derrick White and Paul George roam and create problems away from the ball, and it also helps ease the burden on two players in their 30s.
Against Brunson, Walsh used that profile to Boston’s advantage. He picked him up full court at times, making New York work later in the shot clock before it could get into its offense.
He stayed connected through Brunson’s stop-start movement and didn’t let the Knicks star power through him to create clean separation. He also held up well fighting over screens, even when the effort led to two fouls.
Those fouls still drew approval from Mazzulla, who was pleased with how Walsh played early in the game and again at the start of the second half. George said Walsh set the tone.
His coach said his impact at both ends mattered. For one night, the unheralded part of Boston’s rotation was right at the center of the biggest matchup on the floor.
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Jordan Walsh Is Giving The Celtics A New Lineup Dilemma
Jordan Walsh has suddenly become part of the Celtics starting conversation, and it has little to do with scoring. In recent games, Joe Mazzulla has leaned on Walsh for his defense, using him in the opening group because he can take on difficult perimeter assignments and stay connected on that end of the floor. For a team that values versatility and edge, that kind of trust matters, especially when the coaching staff is looking for reliable minutes against top opponents.
The catch is that Walshs offensive game is still a work in progress, which is why his long-term fit remains a live question. Boston likes what he brings defensively, and the early returns with him in the starting mix have been encouraging, but the Celtics still have to figure out how much room there is for a player whose value is built more on stopping others than creating for himself. That makes Walsh both useful right now and a little tricky to project going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Neemias Queta May Be Giving The Celtics A New Offensive Option
Neemias Queta gave the Celtics a useful jolt off the bench against the Knicks, finishing with 15 points and adding a little extra intrigue to his role in the process. Boston has long valued what he can bring around the rim, but any sign that he can stretch his game beyond that area only broadens the options available to a roster that is always looking for more ways to bend defenses.
The appeal is not just in the one game, but in the possibility that Queta's outside touch can become something the Celtics can actually trust. If that part of his game keeps developing, it would give Boston another wrinkle in lineups that already ask centers to do plenty, and it could make him more than just a situational big in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics May Already Be Seeing Why They Passed On Giannis
The Heats decision to swing big for Giannis Antetokounmpo was supposed to change the balance of the Eastern Conference, but early results have only sharpened the debate around how much a superstar trade can alter a roster. Miami is already dealing with three losses to open the season, and the early unease has centered less on Giannis himself than on what the deal took away, with the move forcing the kind of trade-off that can leave a team top-heavy and thin everywhere else.
For the Celtics, it is a reminder of why they were unwilling to fully meet Milwaukees asking price when Antetokounmpo became available. Boston has long valued roster depth as much as star power, and this kind of story plays directly into that philosophy, especially when title teams usually need more than one great player to survive the long season. The question now is whether Miami can find enough balance around its new centerpiece before those early concerns become a season-long problem. [Read more 🡒]