Jordan Walsh Emerging As The ‘violent Defender' Celtics Were Promised

Jordan Walsh emerging as the ‘violent defender' Celtics were promised originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Our favorite play from the Boston Celtics’ gritty win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night?

Early in the fourth quarter, with Boston clinging to a four-point lead as Cleveland whittled away what had been a 21-point advantage, Anfernee Simons misfired from the wing and De’Andre Hunter appeared to secure the rebound from the mosh pit of bodies in front of the Boston basket.

A quick swipe from Payton Pritchard forced Hunter to fumble the ball, and Jordan Walsh pounced from the opposite side. Walsh’s goal, he later suggested, was to force a tie-up. Instead, he basically wrestled the ball away from Hunter and immediately got fouled trying to go up for a layup.

Coming off his first real dud since elevating to the starting lineup when he struggled to make a positive impact in Saturday’s loss in Minnesota, Walsh posted career highs on Sunday night while piling up 14 points and 11 rebounds.

But it’s Walsh’s defense that continues to distinguish him.

Before the Celtics selected Walsh with the 38th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Arkansas coach Eric Musselman routinely described his teenage forward as a “violent defender.”

Musselman later told NBC Sports Boston: “It’s about violently jumping in passing lanes, violently going after rebounds, and rebounding the ball outside of his area. He can crash into bodies, he’s not afraid of contact. And hence the phrase, ‘Violent defender.’”

With Walsh finally breaking down the door to consistent playing time this season, we’re starting to see the violence that was promised. Walsh has been an elite defender — we’re resisting the urge to start the All-Defense campaign that will eventually arrive if he maintains his on-ball impact — and he’s routinely embraced the challenges of defending the opposing team’s top offensive threat.

On Sunday, Walsh logged six minutes, 47 seconds of matchup time against Donovan Mitchell, defending the Cavs star for a game-high 43 total possessions. Mitchell scored four points on 2-of-8 shooting with two turnovers when Walsh was his primary defender, per NBA tracking data.

Walsh’s defensive metrics have been excellent, even as Joe Mazzulla dispatches him against some of the NBA’s elite. Among the 78 players 6-foot-7 and under who have defended at least nine shots per game with 10-plus games played, Walsh ranks second in the NBA while holding opponents to 7.2 percent below expected output.

Opponents are shooting just 40.2 percent against Walsh (47.4 percent expected). He sits one spot ahead of All-Defense stalwart Draymond Green (-7.1 percent), and only Derrick Jones Jr. (-10.8 percent) has a better mark from that group.

That 7.2 percent below expected field goal percentage number isn’t just good among high-volume players; it slots Walsh in the 96th percentile among all players. Yes, he needs to drive down his foul totals, but that might simply be a byproduct of his defensive tenacity.

Walsh is generating 3.8 Stocks (steals + blocks) per 100 possessions this season. Among all wings, he ranks in the 85th percentile in block percentage (1.2 percent) and 88th percentile for steals (2.4 percent), per Cleaning the Glass data.

Perhaps most importantly for a Celtics team thin on size, Walsh has been relentless chasing rebounds. He ranks in the 95th percentile while chasing down 15.3 percent of opponents’ misses when he’s on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass data.

On Sunday night, when the Celtics were playing without center Neemias Queta, Walsh was credited with a staggering 25 rebound chances (based on proximity to an available rebound). For context, Domantas Sabonis lead the NBA with 22.9 rebound chances per game, and Queta tops the Celtics at 16.7. Walsh is throwing himself into the fray at every chance lately.

Rebounding might have opened the door to Walsh gaining more playing time when he first came off the bench and got active on the glass against Washington in early November. Walsh shuffled up to the starting lineup a week later and has showed no signs of giving up that spot.

The Celtics are 6-2 in Walsh’s eight starts this season. Thin on size, the C’s have often utilized Walsh in small-ball lineups where either him or Josh Minott is basically the center on the floor.

Cleaning The Glass data suggest Walsh has logged 11 percent of his minutes at the power forward spot, and the Celtics have outscored opponents by a staggering 38.9 points per 100 possessions during that admittedly small sample. What’s more, opponents are shooting 13.9 percent below expected output at the rim when Walsh is the primary defender, which is a center-like number.

If developing younger talent and identifying players who can be key contributors long-term was a primary goal for the Celtics, then tapping into Walsh’s violent defensive tendencies this early was a huge win in the Jayson Tatum-less portion of the season.

Walsh needs to remain a willing shooter, especially when he gets open looks from the perimeter. He also needs to be more careful with the ball. He pickpocketed Mitchell at one point early in Sunday’s game but turned it right back over trying to push a pass ahead.

Walsh won’t turn 22 until March 3. The Celtics have him on the books for cheap money next season and can ponder a potential budget extension down the road.

Walsh’s energy and defensive grit has helped steady this team after a rocky start to the 2025-26 season. His ability to consistently impact the game like he did on Sunday might help the Celtics find even more consistency moving forward.