Joe Mazzulla moved Jordan Walsh to the bench on Saturday night, replacing him with Sam Hauser in the starting lineup against the LA Clippers. Hauser played fine. He shot 2-of-8 from behind the arc, gave Boston some solid defense, and played 21:22. But in his first off-the-bench appearance since November 11, Walsh looked incredible.
In his 29:38 of action, Walsh scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds (including six offensive boards). He also added two assists and one block, all while shooting 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from behind the three-point line. Walsh gave Boston everything they could have asked for.
And it came at the perfect time.
Jordan Walsh got benched (and it worked like a charm)
There has been no consistency to Mazzulla’s rotations this season. One game, Walsh will play five minutes; the next, he’ll be on the court for 30. It’s been the same for almost every player in the lineup.
But that’s merely a product of the brand of basketball Boston has chosen to play this season. Whoever is giving the game what it needs on any given night will play the most minutes. It’s a testament to the depth of the roster.
When Luka Garza didn’t play for a chunk of games, he made the most of his first time back in the lineup. When Josh Minott didn’t play a ton in the first couple of games, he earned himself a starting slot. Even rookie Hugo Gonzalez has earned big-minute appearances with impressive spurts.
So, when Walsh got bumped out of the starting lineup, it was almost inevitable that he would come up big for Boston against the Clippers on Saturday.
As soon as he checked into the game, Walsh was on fire. He checked James Harden, crashed the offensive glass with ferocity, and moved beautifully away from the ball.
It was as if his entire mentality shifted back to the one he utilized when he first cracked the Celtics’ starting lineup. Everything realigned back into place after a few rough games in a row.
Whatever Mazzulla was trying to do, it worked. The Celtics got a version of Walsh they hadn’t seen in a few games, and it was exactly what they needed on Saturday night.
Walsh brought his magic back to the hardwood, and even if he doesn’t jump right back into Boston’s first five, he looks ready to continue his impressive 2025-26 campaign.
And if one thing has become clear this season, it’s that Mazzulla knows exactly how to maximize every player on his roster.