NBA Champion Shares Praise For Celtics’ Breakout Forward
Jordan Walsh has been a surprise success story to begin the season
Coming into the 2025-26 season, it was clear the Boston Celtics would look to develop some of the younger talent on the roster. Brad Stevens spent the offseason cutting costs by allowing Luke Kornet and Al Horford to walk in free agency and by trading away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
Over the first 25 games of the new campaign, Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh and rookie Hugo Gonzalez have all impressed. However, Walsh’s developmental leap has taken center stage, with the third-year forward cementing himself in the starting lineup.
When speaking to the media following the Milwaukee Bucks’ 116-101 win over the Celtics on Thursday, Dec. 11, former NBA champion Bobby Portis praised Walsh’s improvement and the impact he’s having on Joe Mazzulla’s team.
“It’s kind of cool to see his career trajectory,” Portis said. “First couple years, didn’t really play, was in the G League. And then got an opportunity this year to go out there and show what he can do. Jump shot’s looking better. Obviously, on the defensive side, he’s top tier. I think he’s going to be a great 3-and-D prospect for them, especially when (Jayson) Tatum comes back, and he’s going to be in the mix with them in that rotation.”
Walsh has played in 21 games so far this season. He’s averaging 7.7 points, five rebounds and an assist while shooting 60.2% from the field and 48.7% from deep. The 2023 second-round pick is earning a long-term role within the Celtics roster and should be confident of having the $2.4 million team option on his contract picked up ahead of the 2026-27 season.
It will be interesting to see how Walsh’s role within the rotation changes once Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles tendon injury. However, given Walsh’s strong play so far, it’s clear that he will still be an important member of the rotation, regardless of whether that comes as a starter or from the bench.
Since Stevens moved into the front office, the Celtics have been quite successful in developing young talent and finding roles for them in the rotation. Walsh is the latest success story, and his emergence could be key in helping the team get back into the championship hunt in the coming years.
