Celtics have an obvious Jordan Walsh solution staring them right in the face

It has been incredibly frustrating to watch the Celtics grasp at straws for most of the last two games, two ugly losses in Games 5 and 6. It looks like they’ve lost their identity at a really bad time, and it’s perfectly evidenced by the struggles of the starting lineup. 

The only Celtics starter with a positive on/off rating in the series is Jayson Tatum, at +28. Neemias Queta is at -6, and Jaylen Brown is -7, but Sam Hauser and Derrick White are particularly struggling at -15 and -18, respectively.

What makes this even more infuriating is that they have a great fix for this issue, and that’s Jordan Walsh. Walsh has been the team’s best defender on Tyrese Maxey by far and has come in and made an impact in each game. 

Celtics need to rely on Jordan Walsh heavily in Game 7

So far, in six games of this series, there have been 245 minutes of high-leverage action, according to DataBallr. But for some reason, Walsh has played in just 58 of those minutes. When he’s on the floor, the Celtics have a +27.1 net rating, which drops all the way to -4.7 in the 187 minutes that he has been on the bench.

Conversely, Hauser has played 121 of the high-leverage minutes, more than twice as many as Walsh, and the team is -7.6 during that time. He’s struggling on the defensive end in this series; the Sixers are doing a solid job of running him off the three-point line, and he’s not offering much else on the offensive end.

With the threes not falling, Hauser isn't finding ways to make an impact. Beyond the obvious defensive upgrade, Walsh also gives the team elite offensive rebounding, constant energy and effort, and has proven this season that he can hit an open three, and isn't afraid to put the ball on the floor and attack a closeout.

Walsh can allow White to thrive in off-ball defensive role

Beyond that obvious tweak, inserting Walsh into the game also allows White to thrive in ways he otherwise can’t. The Cs have had D-White mostly guarding Maxey, which he is capable of doing, but it’s a waste of his talents. White isn’t your typical lockdown guard defender; he’s more of a roamer who can actually anchor an entire defense.

With him glued to Maxey, Boston is losing that advantage as he can focus on nothing else. But if the Celtics start Walsh and have him take away Maxey, White can stay on Kelly Oubre and roam around on defense, causing chaos, getting in passing lanes, and guarding the rim.

And sure enough, the Celtics are +16.2 in net rating over the 19 minutes of this series that White and Walsh share the floor. This isn’t meant to be a shot at Hauser, or anything like that, and in a different series, we may see a different story. But it’s clear that for the Celtics’ best chance of winning Game 7 against Philly, we need to see a lot more Jordan Walsh instead of Sam Hauser.

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