Celtics’ Jordan Walsh building defensive reputation but says he hasn’t done anything yet – The Athletic
TORONTO – As the Boston Celtics wrapped up an all-too-scary win against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Jordan Walsh watched from a seat on the team’s bench.
For his first couple of seasons in the NBA, that would have been Walsh’s usual perch for such a situation. Even earlier this season, he would have experienced crunch time from that vantage point. But this time, the Celtics almost certainly would have wanted him on the court if he could have been. He exited his team’s 121-113 victory only after fouling out with 2:16 left.
Because of his foul trouble, Walsh had a frustrating day in some ways. Even so, it was a status symbol of sorts that his crunch-time absence was notable. His emergence has helped lead the Celtics win 10 of their past 12, a spurt that not so coincidentally began the day he stepped into the starting lineup. He appreciates seeing signs that he’s developing the reputation of a defensive stopper.
“I think that’s a good starting point,” Walsh said before the game Sunday. “I feel like it’s a standard that I want to set for everybody to understand, and obviously you’ve got to start somewhere. With this being the first year I’m getting a big opportunity, I think that’s important to start building that standard, that name, that reputation, and this is definitely a great place to start.”
Since beginning the season outside of the rotation, Walsh has quickly earned his spot as the team’s go-to defensive option, regularly drawing the toughest assignments. Even Sunday, when a series of whistles went against him, he racked up three steals over the first 3:21 while helping Boston build a big early lead.
As well as Walsh has played recently on offense, making 22 of his 27 shots over the last four games, that’s not what has seized the most attention from rival teams. Following a recent matchup against Walsh, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Austin Reaves said he could see the young Celtics forward “being one of the best defenders in the league for many years to come.” Joe Mazzulla, not one to hand out excessive praise, agreed with Reaves’ assessment.
Block Party in the first 😤 pic.twitter.com/FHJvwAoXZC
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 7, 2025
“He’s definitely on that path,” Mazzulla said. “It takes time to get there. It takes reps. It takes the mindset, which he has. I think he is on the path to it. He’s taken ownership of what that role looks like and what the responsibility is every night and what the preparation (entails). And then obviously with what he’s doing during the game. So he’s definitely on that path. It’s definitely something that he wants to do and that he’s working to get better at. So that’s a credit to him.”
Opposing coaches have also noticed Walsh’s work. Before Boston rolled the shorthanded Lakers, who were missing LeBron James and Luka Doncic for the game Friday night, coach J.J. Redick revealed that Walsh’s pressure defense would factor into the Lakers’ game plan. Despite the absences of James and Doncic, Redick said he would move Reaves off the ball at times to limit the physical toll on him during the second leg of a back-to-back.
“We’re cognizant of his workload going into this game,” Redick said. “And I’m sure Walsh will guard him some and pick up full-court, so we’re going to do our best to have multiple ballhandlers out there and get him off ball a little bit.”
Defensive-minded players don’t always receive enough credit. They do the subtle work. The dirty work. The overlooked work. Not everyone will notice how difficult Walsh consistently makes things for the league’s top scorers. But opponents know. Walsh loved to hear that the Lakers accounted for him like that.
“I feel like even before the game started, I already won,” Walsh said. “I already won the battle. If their head coach is talking like that, then I’m already in the heads of the coaches. And if I’m in their heads, then I’m in the heads of the players. So if they’re telling him to watch out, now he’s thinking about it. Now that slight little edge causes maybe some indecision in the first couple of plays and I get a steal or whatever it may be. But yeah, it’s definitely the direction I want to be going. I want to be able to affect the game in many ways, and that’s just one of them.”
Around the NBA, Walsh wants word of his defense to spread even more than it has. Because if it does, he knows he will have earned that type of reputation. And he knows that his reputation could have the power to reshape how teams attack the Celtics.
WOAHHH 🤯 pic.twitter.com/HptfGcQ84q
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 7, 2025
“I’m not sure on how to build it because this is my first time doing this thing, but for the most part, I know that if I’m consistently being that dog, consistently being that guy who’s interrupting their offense and interrupting their pace and slowing them down or stopping them, then it’s going to reach all the teams,” Walsh said. “All teams are going to know what’s going on. They’re all going to have to prepare a different way, hopefully. It’s my plan to have them all prepare a different way. Like, maybe every game they’ve had Austin Reaves bring the ball up the court; now, it’s like, nah, Gabe Vincent’s going to bring the ball to the court every time, so now they’re already changing and game planning around me, which is a reputation that I want to keep. I want to have (that) for every single game.”
Walsh is beginning to recognize his power. He knows what his role needs to entail. Before last season, he stated a goal of becoming one of the NBA’s best defenders. Believing he would need mentors to reach that level one day, he aimed to learn as much as he could from Jrue Holiday. Walsh studied Holiday’s technique, preparation and approach to defense, picking the six-time All-Defensive team member’s brain about everything that helped him become such a menace on that end of the court. Still, with the Celtics returning everybody of importance from a championship team, consistent opportunities never arrived for Walsh.
Though the landscape in Boston changed drastically over the summer, Walsh didn’t benefit immediately with more playing time. He played less than six minutes combined over the Celtics’ first six games until his first real chance showed up. When it did, he capitalized fully, taking advantage of minutes in a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets before stepping into more playing time shortly afterward.
The Celtics took off as soon as he did – in part because he did. Entering Sunday, they had outscored opponents by 12.9 points per 100 possessions with Walsh on the court. Combined with a turn toward smaller second-unit lineups, his increased role has been one of the key factors propelling Boston’s recent surge.
Walsh’s stock has risen rapidly enough that Jaylen Brown wants to make sure his young teammate doesn’t get a big head.
“I don’t want to boost his head up too much,” Brown said after beating the Lakers on Friday. “I don’t want him to start getting cute. He’s gotta still take care of the details. He’s been doing a good job, but we’re going to need him to maintain that, so y’all don’t boost his head up too much.”
Brown’s words were likely lighthearted. Even so, there was enough truth behind them that he repeated the sentiment after beating the Raptors. This time, he wasn’t just referencing Walsh, but all of the young Celtics players enjoying their first taste of NBA glory.
“Keep our edge,” Brown said. “Don’t get too cute. I’m going to keep saying that because handling success is a part of someone’s journey when you’re young. Sometimes, when you’re young, you don’t know how to handle success. It goes to your head. You start feeling yourself. You start thinking everything is supposed to be given to you. And that’s a mistake. We can’t think like that. You’ve gotta come out and win each and every day, and you’ve gotta prepare with that mindset as if you didn’t have success in the first place. So I’m going to make sure our guys keep that.”
Though Brown is already looking ahead to the next challenge, he acknowledges that the Celtics have shown a lot with their recent run. Parts of it have even taken him by surprise. He expected growth like this from his young team, but not so early in the season. Sunday showcased another aspect of Boston’s development. After the Raptors came back from 23 points down to take a lead early in the fourth quarter, the Celtics responded on the road to regain control. They might have dropped such a game earlier in the season but steadied themselves in time to pull away down the stretch, thanks to Brown’s 30 points and White’s 27.
The Celtics have had quite a month. Walsh has, too, but he says it hasn’t been anything more than that yet.
“It was a good month, but I haven’t earned anything,” Walsh said. “I haven’t really done anything. I haven’t succeeded in anything. So it’s like, yeah, people are saying these good things and kind of, like (Brown) says, boosting my head up. At the same time, my first year we won a championship, so for me coming into the league, that’s always been my standard. I feel like this year we’ve played 20 games. It’s no rush. It’s no push, but I haven’t done anything yet. So until I see maybe ultimate success, maybe winning another championship, then maybe my head will get a little bigger.”
