According to reports, the Celtics added another element to their 15-man roster on Thursday when they signed second-round pick Jordan Walsh to a four-year partially guaranteed deal. Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto was the first to report the arrangement, which may be valued up to $6.4 million. Walsh was signed as a second-round pick by the Celtics. The contract’s final year is a team option.
Walsh was selected by the Celtics with the 38th overall choice in the 2023 NBA Draft on a busy night for Boston that included four trades. The 19-year-old was the lone player taken by Boston on the night, landing a former five-star recruit who was a defensive standout for Arkansas in his NCAA debut.
The 6-foot-7 wing is expected to provide bench depth behind Sam Hauser and Oshae Brissett at forward. He will make his Celtics debut in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he intends to make an impact on the defensive end of the floor.
“That’s what my game is,” Walsh remarked of his defensive play. “That’s the foundation of my game, and everything else flows from it.” So to be able to harp on defense — not scoring the ball — to be able to harp on defense, just the intensity and effort. That seems very significant to me.”
With the departure of Grant Williams, Walsh may have a better chance to work his way into the Celtics rotation if he can improve offensively.
“I want to be able to open the floor for guys like (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown, especially on offense,” Walsh said last week. “Just being able to make that shot when they need it and knowing that if they pass it to me and I’m open, I’ll shoot it and it’ll go in.” That is what I want to earn: their faith and trust in me.”
Leave a Reply