Jordan Walsh, once written off, is evolving into a star in his role for the Celtics

Starring in his role is becoming the norm for Jordan Walsh. It's a consistency forged from perseverance. The former Arkansas Razorback spent his first two years in the NBA mostly glued to the bench. In his rookie season, fans were more likely to find him in the G League.

Walsh entered the NBA at 19. He had to get stronger, but most importantly, he had to sharpen his mind. He had to learn what it takes to be consistent at the highest level of basketball. The schedule is relentless. It sends teams from city to city, often with just a day in between games. That means fewer opportunities for formal practices. Within that construct, while not getting game reps, either, he needed to figure out how to grow. He had to do all of that while learning how he can thrive in his role.

He entered his third year with the Boston Celtics knowing that his time to overcome the hurdles placed in front of him was running out. The franchise has a modest $2.4 million team option it can exercise to retain Walsh for the 2026-27 campaign. If they declined it, would another NBA team take a chance on him?

Given the way Walsh is playing now, it would come as a shock if he had to find that out.

Jordan Walsh helps propel Celtics past Knicks

The six-foot-six wing was everywhere in the final stretch of Boston's 123-117 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night at TD Garden. In the last six minutes, the hosts only missed four of their 10 shots. He grabbed three of those, converting two of those offensive rebounds into put-backs.

It didn't matter if he was coming from the nail, the dunker spot, or the corner. If a teammate missed a shot, the third-year wing was there to rectify the situation.

Beyond his Tommy Points, Walsh showcased his feel as a passer. When the visitors blitzed Jaylen Brown, the former made plays in the seam, finding the open shooter or delivering a kick-out pass that kept the defense in rotation.

That earned him post-game praise from his head coach.

"To me, the last six minutes of the game, he was just a great playmaker," Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini after the win. "He had the offensive rebounds. He made plays in the seam. He was great at the point of attack defensively."

On a night where role players like Walsh and Josh Minott, who finished with 11 points and six rebounds, shined, Mazzulla conveyed, "They're just finding, they're slowly chipping away at what it means to be really impactful in this league, and really what they do matters for our team and having that role of kind of going out there every night and knowing they can change the game."

Walsh did just that.

The Knicks outscored the Celtics 41-29 in the final frame. They shrank an 18-point deficit in half in under three minutes. They got within one possession. However, exemplifying the energy and effort his team played with, Walsh was at the heart of why this game had a different ending than when New York came back from down 20 in two straight playoff tilts on this same parquet seven months ago.

As Mazzulla noted, that wasn't just a product of his impact at the offensive end. The Texas native battled with Karl-Anthony Towns in the low post. He squared up against Jalen Brunson on the perimeter. And he spent seemingly every Knicks possession flying around like a madman.

After New York tracked down a missed three by Miles McBride, Walsh stepped in front of Brunson's entry pass to Towns for the interception. He peeled off of Josh Hart in the corner to contest a floater from the visitors' star guard, inducing a miss, likely from further out in the paint than Brunson wanted to release that attempt. Walsh's arrival left him no choice.

It was one of the many winning plays he made, a development that is becoming increasingly common.

"I'm starting to see Jordan, man, playing like a grown man," Jaylen Brown told Hardwood Houdini after Boston's victory over its geographical rival. "Him coming out of his shell, being aggressive, he's learning every day. So, I'm loving it."

Even when he couldn't point to his playing time or production as validation for his hard work behind the scenes, Walsh kept grinding.

"Pregame tonight, I was talking to my agent, he was like, 'Remember, we sat down earlier this month or last month, and was like, it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen,'" the third-year wing shared after another night where he turned starring in his role into the norm.

His agent, Ramon Sessions, is a reliable source on this subject. The former NBA guard went from being one of the last picks in the 2007 draft to carving out an 11-year career.

"If you work hard, you get rewarded," conveyed Sessions. "I thought about it today, and coming in and being able to finish the game out tonight is obviously a big step for me," said Walsh.

It was the latest example of a player who is making it increasingly clear that he can be a meaningful part of the Celtics' ability to return to championship contention.