What the Boston Celtics Can Expect From Jordan Walsh

He's young, but he's also been around. He's shown a lot, and yet he has a lot to prove. If Walsh is going to become the player he wants to be, it's going to take more focus than what we've seen.

Apr 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh (27) reacts after scoring a basket against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of a game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is the next installment in a series of pieces examining what the Boston Celtics can expect from each of their players this season. Others in the series: The Rookies, Mike Conley, and Paul George. Tomorrow: Baylor Scheierman.

Jordan Walsh wants more as he heads into his fourth NBA season. 

“I'm trying to change my identity offensively,” he said while taking in a summer league game in Las Vegas. “I'm trying to become a better, way better offensive player. I'm trying to fit in situations that I didn't fit in last year. I'm trying to be the answer to the situations that they took me out of.” 

Walsh has been around for a little while, and his extension guarantees he’ll be around for at least a couple more years thanks to a three-year, $16 million extension he signed this summer (the third year is a team option). 

Six years in the league is already a huge accomplishment for a second-round pick, but Walsh isn’t looking to be some forgotten name who essentially hit the lottery and disappeared. He wants to be on the floor when it matters. 

“When those moments come, I want to always be the best option. I want to be the best choice,” he said. “[That means] working on my shot, working on my handle, working on creating my own shot when I have those pockets.”

It’s a lofty goal for a guy who won’t turn 23 until March and has played fewer total minutes in his career than Neemias Queta played last season alone. 

In some ways, it’s too early to figure out what Jordan Walsh will be in the league, but in others, it’s already too late for him to try to be something he’s not. 

It’s a bit of a conundrum, because who are we to tell a young player he won’t reach a certain level when he’s only 22? At the same time, we should be seeing a little more of what Walsh wants to be by the time his fourth season rolls around. 

Compare him to Hugo Gonzalez, for example. Gonzalez is still raw and he also lost minutes late last season, but there's a je ne sais quoi to his game that has coaches and scouts tantalized about his future. 

Walsh showed flashes last season, especially defensively, and he had a stretch early on when he was really turning heads. But that was short lived, and he couldn't hang on to his spot in the rotation. It’s fair to think Baylor Scheierman has passed Walsh on the depth chart, but at this point, nothing is set in stone. 

Which brings us back to Walsh’s goals, and how those square with what the team needs from him. What is going to keep him on the floor next season, and what will make him the kind of player the Celtics want to keep when that team option rolls around? Are those the same thing? And if they're not, how does he fill a certain role while working towards the bigger picture down the road?

The biggest question for Walsh this upcoming season might be whether he’s willing to be the lock-down defensive player who waits for the kick-outs in the corner to knock down corner threes. Are those goals he set out for himself going to push him to do too much? Or will they get him to do just enough? 

Balance is the key for Walsh this season. It’s as much about understanding the game and what it needs as it is about him growing his game to fit a bigger role. Walsh needs to improve his on-court performance, but his biggest challenge has always seemed to be mental. 

His worst habit has been playing too fast and getting too caught up in moments. The best players, the kind of guy he wants to be, have a cool demeanor and can control the game by dictating the pace. Walsh sometimes feels like he’s joined Bart Simpson and Milhouse Van Houten on an all-syrup super-squishee bender.

Walsh is already an elite individual defender and can spend years simply being a “disrupt the point of attack” kind of guy. If he can find the range from the corners on offense (he shot an ugly 37.8% on corner threes last season, compared to Scheierman’s 49.4%) and attack the occasional close-out, he’ll fill a very valuable role for the Celtics. 

The Celtics won’t ask Walsh to do too much this season. In the halfcourt offense, he needs to set good screens, make good reads, and be in the spots he’s supposed to be. He needs to protect the ball when he gets it, make the open looks he sees, and move the ball when the shot isn’t there. 

We know the Celtics can expect great defense when he’s on the floor, but he needs to clean up the fouls. He was seventh on the team in minutes but fourth in total fouls. Great defenders have a tendency to pick a foul up here and there, but Derrick White played more than twice as many minutes as Walsh and committed 18 fewer fouls. Walsh needs to find a middle ground. 

He’s capable of delivering on some of the expectations, but he’s going to need to prove that his shooting and decision-making is good enough to match the things he’s naturally good at. In the end, I land on the more skeptical side of things, because I haven't seen enough of most important offensive skills over three seasons. 

But he’s young, and progress is different for different players. Opportunities will present themselves this season, but the competition will be fierce. Staying focused and consistent is what will win him the minutes he needs to prove himself.