LAS VEGAS — Jordan Walsh let out a yell in the right corner after missing another shot before the buzzer. Back-to-back attempts by Walsh fell flat entering halftime, teammates meeting him where he stood on the far end of the court with light taps hoping to push him toward a stronger half. But Walsh wouldn’t score again as he shot 0-for-4 over 13 minutes.
“I’ll give him credit,” assistant coach D.J. MacLeay said. “I thought he did compete. Shots aren’t gonna go in sometimes. He generally had the right mindset and approach to the game. I thought the shots he took were decent, maybe except for one or two, then it’s up to me to help him get a little better looks and get him going.”
Walsh focused on shooting better he explained his goals for his second year in the Vegas showcase. He also looked further ahead to 2024-25, saying he wanted to show Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens that he can fit into Boston’s plans as the team tries to repeat as champions. Walsh earned that distinction, celebrating in the locker room, riding in the parade and working throughout the playoffs, though only watching when the games tipped-off. He spent nearly the entirety of his rookie season in the G-League with Maine.
It doesn’t sound like something he hopes to do again. It might be necessary for a 20-year-old with most of the pro roster returning.
“I can play a role that they need me to play next year,” Walsh said before the first game. “That hopefully helps to win a championship. It definitely was a focus in Maine. I took that back seat to be more of a 3-and-D guy. I feel like that’s what Boston wanted from me … that’s what my teammates needed. So that’s what I had to do. Obviously, Summer League, I was trying to prove myself, so I had a healthy bit of both.”
Walsh began last summer with similar enthusiasm and high hopes. When Boston drafted him No. 38 overall, he signed a four-year standard contract and imagined how he’d play off Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He spent training camp with the pro Celtics, scrimmaging against soon-to-be champions and playing one-on-one long after practice ended. The wake-up calls began there, Payton Pritchard taking pride in teaching the rookie a lesson in their matchups.
Then — the assignment to Maine came. Walsh struggled with it at first, the unfamiliar city 90 minutes north, the cold that quickly set over it and adapting to a new role….
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