Must C’s: Celtics rookie Jordan Walsh scores his first points in the NBA

Rookie Jordan Walsh has spent the vast majority of his time deep on the Celtics bench or with the Maine Celtics. Just lately, nonetheless, he’s been entering into an occasional recreation throughout rubbish time. He performed 3 minutes in each the Spurs and Warmth blowout wins however got here away scoreless. With the Celtics pulling away from the extraordinarily shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, the one drama left was seeing if Jordan would log his first factors. And naturally, he delivered in essentially the most Jordan Walsh manner potential.

The fellas from CelticsBlog Playback caught it right here.

In 14 video games in Maine (so far) Walsh is averaging 15.9 factors and seven.9 rebounds per recreation. Notably, he’s taking pictures 36% from 3-point land and impressed head coach Joe Mazzulla together with his growing NBA-level protection.

“What’s stood out is his progress as a participant and understanding that crucial factor is protection,” Mazzulla stated. “I beloved his defensive positioning and his defensive physicality and his instincts. I feel that’s gotten rather a lot higher for the reason that starting of the 12 months. That’s the problem for any younger participant — actually shopping for in to the truth that no matter what you’re offensively or the way it went in school, it’s a must to play protection. You gotta be taught protection and he’s executed an incredible job of that.”

Come to consider it, I feel it’s becoming that Walsh’s first factors got here on the evening when the Celtics paid tribute to Marcus Good, since Jordan’s hustle and tenacity have shades of Marcus in them.

“Celtics followers know that basketball is greater than getting 30 an evening. It’s in regards to the hustle performs. It’s about diving on the ground,” Walsh stated of Marcus Good. “The clips that have been on the Jumbotron, most of them have been him diving on the ground and blocking pictures. For that to be the spotlight of what he was whereas he was right here and the followers love that about him, that speaks rather a lot to the custom and tradition of the Celtics.”

If he can proceed to work on his outdoors shot, his hustle, protection, and athleticism might put him in place to contribute in future years. In the intervening time, nonetheless, he’ll have to content material himself to benefit from the view from the bench and sometimes contribute some minutes in a blowout scenario.

Cheers to Jordan for this accomplishment. Right here’s to many extra sooner or later.