The beauty of Jordan Walsh’s game presents itself in lots of different ways. An offensive rebound that leads straight into a put-back dunk. A strip steal while guarding a superstar like Cade Cunningham or Tyrese Maxey full-court. A monster chasedown block to halt a fast break. But perhaps the most subtle is his screen navigation.
“I just thought he set the tone. He was unscreenable. Did a great job making plays defensively.” That was Joe Mazzulla after the Celtics’ win over the Washington Wizards on December 4. Walsh scored a career-high 22 points in that game. But he was also a menace on the defensive end of the court.
That’s been his role all year.
Jordan Walsh's screen navigation is incredible
Most recently, Walsh exploded onto the scene in the Celtics’ December 11 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Though Boston ended up dropping that one, Walsh looked incredible on defense from the jump.
At one point, Myles Turner came up to the top of the key to screen him, but he failed. Turner didn’t actually set the screen. He just tapped Walsh on the back and dove to the rim.
Against some defenders, that would be enough. It would distract the defender for just a beat, sending them off in the wrong direction, and creating space. But Walsh stuck to Kevin Porter Jr. like glue.
Turner went right back up and screened Walsh again. The Celtics forward ran into Turner like a truck, switched onto him, and Jaylen Brown took on the Porter assignment. Porter passed the ball out of bounds. Boston earned possession.
Walsh’s relentlessness on the ball was a huge part of why the possession went the Celtics’ way. Had he been quick to react to Turner’s initial touch, then perhaps Milwaukee would have been able to create an advantage.
And if he hadn’t fought hard through Turner’s second screen and switched onto him quickly, then maybe Porter could have found him on the roll.
But neither of those realities came to fruition. Instead, Walsh battled. He used every ounce of his effort to make the Bucks’ life hard on offense, and because of that, the Celtics got a turnover.
That single possession perfectly exemplifies the hustle and energy that Walsh has brought to the Celtics’ lineup all season. He’s been an absolute revelation.
For all of the impressive abilities Walsh provides Boston with when he’s on the floor, his screen navigation may be one of the most underrated.