The Boston Celtics have trotted out the same first unit for tip-off in each of their last nine games. That has featured the core four of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard in the backcourt, with Jaylen Brown, Josh Minott, and Neemias Queta sharing the front court. However, entering Wednesday night's matchup vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, Joe Mazzulla is making a change.
Jordan Walsh is joining the starting lineup, tagging in for Minott. The latter only played 8:16 in Tuesday's 102-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. When asked about him not playing in the second half and if there were or will be any conversations between Minott and Joe Mazzulla about that decision, Boston's bench boss told Hardwood Houdini, "That's between me and Josh."
As Minott said after scoring a career-high 21 points in a win over the Washington Wizards, "I'm trying to go out there like this [expletive] can end tomorrow, because it can."
After a stretch as a first-unit fixture, it's now on him to bounce back from early adversity that pales in comparison to spending his first several seasons in the NBA stuck at the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves' bench or suiting up for their G League affiliate.
Jordan Walsh continues to impress
The third-year wing who starred collegiately at Arkansas entered this season with his Celtics tenure and NBA future at stake. Well aware of that reality, he figured out how to achieve the most significant growth of his career.
At training camp, Walsh told Hardwood Houdini that "role player IQ" and his work on his jump shot, ensuring he doesn't have "lazy feet," were the two areas his game made the most significant leap this summer.
Once he got his opportunity with a Boston roster that is dramatically different from what it was a year ago, he put those traits on display quickly.
He delivered the best game of his career in Sunday's 111-107 victory vs. the Orlando Magic. Walsh came off the bench to provide disruptive defense, swiped a pair of steals, and at times forced the hosts to seek a switch to get a different defender on star forward Paolo Banchero.
The six-foot-six wing also grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists, and knocked down a corner three that represented the dagger in Boston's win at the Kia Center.
It was a prime example of Walsh building on each opportunity he gets. He continues to string together noteworthy performances. That consistency is rooted in his increased understanding of the mental side of the game.
For instance, after hounding Tyrese Maxey in Tuesday's loss to the 76ers, holding Philadelphia's franchise guard to 1/4 against him in the fourth quarter, including 1/3 in the final frame, he spoke with Hardwood Houdini about the role understanding tendencies played in his defensive success compared to the effort he's playing with in a make-or-break year.
"It's definitely a huge combination of both," expressed Walsh. "I think a big part of it is knowing their tendencies, because the way that we play is if you can make them take a shot that we want them to take, then -- and if he makes it, then it's like, 'alright, kudos to him.' Just trying to force him into uncomfortable situations, where he has to play a different style of basketball than he's used to."
Now his string of impressive performances have earned him a spot in the Celtics' starting lineup.