Many fans and pundits raised an eyebrow last June when the Boston Celtics front office selected Baylor Scheierman with the 30th pick. The move had fans wondering if that would have an impact on Jordan Walsh, whom they acquired via a trade on draft night a year prior, presumably as a wing project for the future. Drafting the former Creighton product certainly seemed like a floor spacing bench upgrade for the world champions, or maybe even a Sam Hauser insurance policy.
Either way, Jordan Walsh had a less than stellar second season in the NBA. Playing in just 52 games on the year with many DNP’s recorded. Walsh shot just 27 percent from the three-point line, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in just eight minutes a night. Walsh did shoot slightly better in his rookie campaign, but that was only in nine appearances, as he was in and out of the team during a 27-game season for the Maine Celtics.
Walsh showed the coaching staff the development required in his rookie campaign to make the leap to the Boston bench. Walsh only suited up for just a single game for the Maine Celtics during the 2024-25 season, where he looked extremely comfortable, logging 20 points on December 8, 2024.
Jordan had his longest period of consistent playing time in the NBA through November, December, and January. The 6-7 small forward was part of the Stay Ready crew, seeing mainly garbage time minutes and the occasional meaningful stint of play.
Walsh’s best game of the season came against Toronto in a blowout victory on New Year’s Day. Walsh played 12 minutes and logged 10 points on 4-6 shooting and registered 2 assists.
Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Brad Stevens clearly liked what he saw from Jordan when he traded back multiple times and drafted him: the defensive intangibles and the long, athletic frame. However, his offensive game at this point in time is not up to the level of his older teammate, Baylor Scheierman. The rookie appears to have more polish when it comes to passing as a former QB; he also displays a rebounding tenacity, and late in the season his shot-making had come around. By March 2025, rookie Baylor Scheierman had permanently replaced Walsh in the extended rotation as the season came to an end.
The February signing of veteran Torrey Craig also signaled that Brad Stevens and the front office thought wing depth was still an issue and didn’t fully trust Jordan Walsh to step up late in the season and in the playoffs. Jordan Walsh has one year of guaranteed money remaining on his rookie deal before a team option kicks in for the 2026-27 season.
Walsh is still just 21 years old. He clearly needs to bulk up this off season and work on his shooting and decision-making on both ends of the floor. Walsh should look to learn from a player like Derrick White, who transformed his shooting game once he came to Boston. White’s extremely quick trigger from long range and decision-making make him an invaluable teammate and superb role player in the league.
With an uncertain offseason fast approaching for the C’s, Walsh could either be dealt in a salary-matching trade or, more than likely, stick around on the team as a cheap, cost-controlled rookie-scale contract. As Brad Stevens reiterated last week, all cards appear to be on the table for the NBA Draft and beyond. It’s not out of the question that Boston is heading toward a summer shakeup. Boston has given up on young players before — most notably Aaron Nesmith who was traded to Indiana and has developed into a solid rotation player.
Jordan Walsh, at this point in his development, is a third string wing player; if he stays in Boston, he will likely return to Las Vegas once again to compete in the NBA Summer League in July. If he doesn’t show dramatic improvements and an ability to dominate in that competition, fans might start to have serious cause for concern over Jordan Walsh’s fit long-term.
