BOSTON — Jordan Walsh entered Wednesday night having only played 24 minutes in the entire Celtics regular season. He matched that number while providing a massive boost off the bench for Boston in a 136-107 rout against the Wizards.
Walsh entered the season with hopes of cracking the rotation, but he has been the odd man out most nights behind Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman. Outside of 18 minutes against the Rockets that largely came in garbage time, Walsh hadn’t played more than a two minute stint in a game all year.
That changed against the Wizards, however, when Walsh got the call early in the first quarter and ran with the opportunity. In a first half where most of the bench struggled, Walsh was a bright spot for his defense and rebounding. He played big minutes during Boston’s 44-23 second quarter domination and finished with a plus-27 on the night, posting seven points and seven rebounds in the win.
“I thought he was great tonight,” Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “I thought just both ends of the floor, his presence defensively, his rebounding, his positioning, he has got good defensive instincts. I thought he played really well. I thought our defense changed it, but I also think he sparked the change in the game tonight just because of the way he plays. It’s a credit to him just staying ready, making sure he’s ready at any time.”
Mazzulla also credited Walsh for staying ready as he waited for his turn on a crowded bench depth chart at the wing.
“He just chips away at it,” Mazzulla said. “Again, that was a high-level of professionalism to be ready, and he just every day treats it as if he’s going to play. So I think that mindset is kind of what you have to have, and he handled it well, and he’s got to keep that up. But he works at the same pace regardless of if he’s playing or not, and that says a lot.”
With the Celtics opting for a smaller lineup off the bench Wednesday by playing Josh Minott at center, the door could be open for additional minutes for Walsh moving forward. He has more size than Boston’s other reserve wings and his defensive ability will allow for some versatility with that group if he’s able to knock down shots.
Mazzulla will likely continue to mix and match off the bench moving forward, but Walsh did enough Wednesday night to earn another extended look this weekend in Orlando.
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