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, patting him in hopes of pushing him toward a stronger half. But Walsh wouldn’t score again as he shot 0-for-4 over 13 minutes. Watching film over the next few days while also trying to flush the struggles from his mind, he admitted on Monday that he played terrible.
“I’ll give him credit,” assistant coach D.J. MacLeay said post-game. “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 when 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.
That isn’t something he hopes to do again. It could be necessary for the 20-year-old with most of the pro roster returning.
“It’s a goal I’ve set for myself for sure,” Walsh said. “Obviously, the front office and them believe in me. They think that I have a chance. So as long as that window’s open, I’m gonna try my hardest to get through it. I feel like at the end of the day, me realizing that I’m still 20-years-old, I still got a lot of time, a lot of growth, but also at the same time knowing I have to make constant improvements to my game. So just staying in that mindset knowing that I have to improve, but I can also be good for now to be able to help the team now. That’s where I’m at now, and that’s how I’m moving through the Summer League and how I’ll move throughout training camp and the season.”
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. Like many first time G-Leaguers, Walsh had to balance showing his skills with playing a role. When he learned how focusing on threes and defense could provide him the fastest track to Boston, he embraced it and finished with a solid season, shooting 35.4% from three on 240 attempts while playing a significant role in Maine reaching the G-League Finals. Walsh admitted that in Saturday’s loss, he focused too much on getting his own shot off and showcasing himself rather than playing within the flow of the offense.
“I think there’s opportunity there,” MacLeay said, assessing Walsh’s chance of breaking Boston’s rotation. “But you can’t skip steps to get to that stage. We talk a lot about mindset, getting better each day, approaching each day as an opportunity to improve and I think that’s been the constant message. You can’t get there without improving each day right now. So that’s what, as a staff, we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to instill in each player.”
Boston potentially needs internal wing depth to emerge if free agents Oshae Brissett and Svi Mykhailiuk don’t return. The team expected a long learning curve for Walsh given how quickly he leaped to the league, though, perhaps longer than one year.
Walsh quickly saw how nothing’s guaranteed into year two. A new class of draft picks arrive to the team and league each year. On day one, fellow wing Baylor Scheierman, who played four more college seasons than Walsh, outplayed him in the Celtics’ loss to the Heat. Scheierman carved out a solid debut despite missing his first three shots badly. Walsh could’ve benefited from a similarly short memory. Each miss showed in his expression and creeped into his play, fouling and losing control of the ball twice in the lane as he tried to press to find his offense.
“I’m definitely flushing that one. I don’t want to ever see or hear about that game ever again … D-Mac told me you get one care to give then you gotta let it go … that’s what I’m working on now,” Walsh said. “I’m just trying to figure out a way to make myself think that that last shot went in and move onto the next play. That’s the biggest thing in my development and my growth, especially from last game, but for the whole season … hopefully I can get in the mentality of, forget that, next play.”
He dealt with that frustration in his Maine season, too, and he did a better job reigning it in despite embracing an emotional, energetic game where he even doesn’t mind fouling sometimes to allow himself extra aggressiveness. He chased behind a Kel’el Ware handoff attempt and fouled as he tried to get himself going midway through the game, only to pause in disbelief over the call.
Bad shooting nights happen in Summer League. The Celtics played sloppy as a whole for segments of the game. Neemias Queta also probably wanting back some of the misses at the rim he piled up inside. That goes back to the mindset he embraced last year that set himself up for success. Focusing on playing a narrow but impactful role.
“My focus was on the wrong thing. I feel like I should’ve focused more on playing how I would play if Tatum and them were on the floor,” Walsh said. “I was just thinking, I was the only guy on the floor. Not in a selfish way, but in a way it was like, I want to get my shots. I feel like I predicated too much on making or missing shots.”