The huge way Jordan Walsh could change this future Celtics problem

Sunday night was a coming-out party of sorts for Jordan Walsh. He put up 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors in Boston’s final home preseason game, and after his struggle-filled 2024 Summer League, it was a bit shocking to see. Everything about his game looked completely different.

The game slowed down for Walsh. He shot the ball with confident, moved his feet perfectly on defense, and consistently drove close-outs when he was challenged at the three-point line. The 20-year-old looked like a veteran, not a rookie, and that’s great news for the Celtics, especially considering their future reality.

Walsh could play a massive part in saving them from a potential mess.

Jordan Walsh could be a huge part of future Celtics rosters

Boston is on a clock. Wyc Grousbeck pushed the limits of his spending, and it resulted in a championship. But now, the Celtics have the most expensive roster in basketball, and they probably won’t keep it intact for long.

By the time next summer rolls around, the Celtics will have some serious financial decisions they have to make. That could mean trading one of the five players on the books who will make close to $30 million. At the very least, that issue will come to a boiling point in the summer of 2026.

At that point, the Celtics will likely still have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the rest of the team could be up in the air. One of the top pieces from the 2024 title team could be gone, and Boston will need as much depth as possible to help mitigate the loss.

That’s where Walsh comes in.

For teams that sit at the top of the league in terms of payroll, hitting on draft picks is essential. Just look at the Denver Nuggets. They are banking on guys like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther this year because they didn’t want to pay Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown.

If Walsh turns out to be a developmental success story and the Celtics get him back on a reasonable contract similar to Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser’s, that would be a massive win.

Barring some insane growth, Walsh isn’t going to be a star, but he could easily be a high-level rotation player if he stays on the track that he seems to be on. With guys like Tatum and Brown already leading the way, that’s perfect.

Walsh doesn’t solve the problem entirely, but with Pritchard and Hauser on long-term deals, having another guy who’s on track to be a rotation piece is huge. Based on the way Walsh played on Sunday night, he might be that guy.

And that could seriously help Boston’s imminent financial problem from a roster-building standpoint.