Late in the first quarter of Wednesday’s Boston Celtics blowout win over the Washington Wizards, Jordan Walsh and Cam Whitmore hit the parquet floor fighting for a loose ball.
Once the play was blown dead, Walsh and Whitmore competed for possession via jump ball, with Walsh emerging victorious.
Jordan Walsh forces the jump ball 💪 pic.twitter.com/CENzNkCmlY
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) November 6, 2025
This was just one example of the tremendous energy the young Celtic brought to the matchup with Washington. Envision the type of hustle you’d want to see someone who is fighting for their NBA life play with -- that was it.
Jordan Walsh played about as well as he could've having gotten almost zero run this season
For maybe the first time in his career, Walsh gave the Cs a spark when they desperately needed it. He checked into the game with Boston down seven with just under three minutes left in the opening quarter. Nine minutes later, he headed to the bench to a nice round of applause from the TD Garden crowd, and, more importantly, with his team up six points.
His energy was contagious, and the Celtics never trailed again.
“He was great tonight,” Joe Mazzulla praised after the win. “On both ends of the floor… He sparked the change in the game tonight because of the way he played. Credit to him for staying ready and making sure he's ready at any time.”
Walsh did a bit of everything, as Mazzulla pointed out.
He got himself going by sprinting the floor after a Derrick White steal to get himself an easy layup. Immediately after, he pressed Kyshawn George the entire length of the floor. Unfortunately, that play ended with George finishing a layup through a Walsh foul, but the former Arkansas standout kept with him the entire way.
Walsh also made an impact on the glass, especially in the second quarter. He had ripped down five rebounds by the time his first shift was over. Boston has needed all the help they can get finishing off defensive stops, so this was definitely a welcome surprise.
Oh, and he made a three.
Developing a reliable three-point shot is going to be critical for Walsh if he wants to be a rotation-level player in the NBA. His current rate of just 27.5% from deep simply isn’t good enough.
He finished the night with seven points, seven rebounds, and two steals in 23 minutes. He definitely made the case for more playing time in the coming games. Walsh was second on the team in terms of plus/minus at a +27.
Most importantly, he was ready, after playing more than three minutes just one other time so far this season.
“I think that mindset is kind of what you have to have,” Mazzulla continued. “He handled it well, and he works on the same pace, regardless if he's playing or not.”