20 Under 25: Jordan Walsh’s development is crucial for future Celtics

20 Under 25: Jordan Walsh’s development is crucial for future Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Editor’s Note: NBC Sports Boston has launched its annual “20 Under 25” series in which fans can vote on the 20 best male professional athletes in Boston under age 25. Voting is open until Dec. 16.

If you need a reminder of just how young Jordan Walsh is, consider this: As the Celtics were parading through the streets of Boston in June to celebrate their 18th championship, fans launched unopened beers towards the duck boat carting both Walsh and teammate Luke Kornet through the city.

Walsh, by law, technically cannot consume those beverages until his 21st birthday in March 2025, which forced Kornet and the team’s medical staff to play a bit of parade defense.

“I had my kids there and then I felt like I had a third who was present,” quipped Kornet. “And, you know, sometimes you’re more spiritual father than necessarily the biological.”

At 20 years and 106 days old when the Celtics raised the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Walsh was the youngest player on any of the franchise’s 18 championship teams. This season, he is again the youngest player on Boston’s roster, and by a considerable margin. (Jaden Springer, 22, is the next youngest.) Boston has the eighth-oldest roster in the NBA with an average player age of 26.4 years old, and Walsh is doing his best to pull that number down.

All of which stresses the runway the Celtics have with Walsh, who logged just 83 minutes in nine appearances during his rookie season. (Nearly half of that court time came with Boston resting veteran players over the final two games of the regular season.)

Walsh had an unremarkable rookie season, then had an utterly forgettable NBA Summer League stretch where he couldn’t buy a 3-point shot in Vegas. Undeterred, he absorbed all the criticism, pledged to move on quickly, and then distinguished himself among all of Boston’s end-of-the-roster players during training camp.

On Monday night, Walsh, at age 20 years, 274 days, drew a spot start with Boston shorthanded and helped the Celtics to a breezy 19-point triumph over the Miami Heat.

There are still plenty of strides for Walsh to take to become a more regular contributor for this team. But over the three past months, there have been far more glimpses of his potential than the entirety of his rookie season.

A week ago, Walsh popped off the bench late in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers and made a two-way impact, producing a loud dunk — and a rare 3-pointer — on the offensive end while swatting two shots on the defensive side in just seven minutes of play.

In those moments, you can see why Arkansas coach Eric Musselman dubbed Walsh a “violent defender.” The potential on the defensive end is obvious given his length and ability to frustrate opponents. If Walsh projects as a potential 3-and-D wing, then it’s the D that is going to open the door to playing time while waiting for the 3 to be a much more consistent weapon (He’s 7 for 30 from distance as a pro.)

For Walsh, being part of a veteran team is both a blessing and a curse. He’s the only member of the 2023 draft class with a championship ring, but he also hasn’t gotten the sort of floor time that most 38th picks might see on rebuilding squads. Walsh spent much of last season with the Maine Celtics, but his greatest opportunities for growth are more likely practices at the NBA level where he gets tossed in against his veteran teammates. Being forced to defend Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will make anyone better.

The Celtics are blessed with depth, which means they don’t necessarily need Walsh to blossom immediately. But his ability to be a consistent contributor could be vital as early as next season. The C’s have spent big money to build a championship roster, but there’s no guarantee they can keep this core together beyond this season.

Having low-cost, young players to put into rotation roles could ease the burden of the big money committed to the team’s superstars. Walsh will count for less than 2 percent of the league cap for the entirety of his rookie contract. The team has a club option on Walsh for the 2026-27 campaign at just $2.4 million, and he’ll only be 23 by the time he first projects to hit free agency.

The Celtics don’t have a lot of other long-term options for our annual under-25 spotlight. Center Neemias Queta turned 25 in July, while two-way wing Drew Peterson had his 25th birthday in November. Rookie Baylor Scheierman, the inaugural first-round pick of the Brad Stevens GM era, could be a valuable depth piece, but even he’ll turn 25 before the start of the 2025-26 season. The same is true with 2024 second-round pick Anton Watson, who turns 25 in early October 2025.

Boston’s true under-25 crew essentially consists of Walsh, Springer and 22-year-old two-way guard JD Davison. The Celtics traded for the uber-athletic Springer last February and like his potential as a defense-first guard, but he’s played sparingly and has a somewhat bulky contract for his role ($4 million this season), which will leave him in trade chatter later this season.

Davison, the 53rd pick in the 2022 draft, plays with great speed and is etching his name in Maine’s record books with two-plus seasons of heavy G-League activity, but Boston’s crowded guard depth chart complicates any path to consistent NBA time.

That Walsh is still so young is tantalizing. Even if he didn’t dent the box score much in 13 minutes against the Heat, a December start can’t help but accelerate his development. He’ll learn from his mistakes (like a sloppy third-quarter turnover) and wait patiently for his next opportunity.

Walsh has shown far more progress in the last 90 days than his first 400 in the league. There’s real hope that he can help this team down the line. And, given the team’s lack of wings, he needs to stay ready for random opportunities over the course of the regular season.

It might be frustrating waiting for those chances. But he’s only 20. And if the Celtics are lucky enough to to win another title, he’ll be legal drinking age for the next parade.

Editor’s Note: Using the form below, you can evaluate each of the 20 Under 25 candidates “video game” style, giving each athlete a player “rating” that reflects their maximum potential in the coming years.