{"id":713563,"date":"2026-04-19T00:19:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/713563\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T00:19:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:19:04","slug":"jordan-walsh-gets-playoff-opportunity-to-revive-once-dead-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/713563\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordan Walsh gets playoff opportunity to revive once ‘dead’ career"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Celtics\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThere were times when Walsh was out of the rotation altogether. Now he has a shot to prove himself against Tyrese Maxey.<\/p>\n

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\n\tJordan Walsh has become a staple of the Celtics rotation this season. AP Photo\/Charles Krupa\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNFL is not investigating Patriots coach Mike Vrabel for behavior regarding reporter Dianna Russini\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t76ers star Joel Embiid won\u2019t play Game 1 vs. Celtics, per Philadelphia head coach\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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Jordan Walsh is averaging more than twice as many minutes as he did last year, a fact that can sometimes get lost while discussing the ebbs and flows of his playing time. <\/p>\n

There were times when he had fallen out of the rotation completely, such as the beginning of the season when he barely played in the Celtics\u2019 first three games. His minutes dropped down to 14 per game in February. <\/p>\n

The lack of playing time was frustrating for the third-year player, but not enough to keep him from chipping away at earning a role. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnything that doesn\u2019t kill you makes you stronger, and I think those moments kind of made me stronger,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cDuring my first year [Xavier Tillman] didn\u2019t play most of the season and then he comes in the Finals and hits a big shot. Stories like that give me inspiration to know that it\u2019s not over until it\u2019s over.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep playing until the buzzer ends, in a sense, throughout the whole season. It\u2019s a big thing, it\u2019s kind of like reviving yourself. I got a comment from Joe one time, he was like \u2018your career, you were dead in the water and now you\u2019re back alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walsh wasn\u2019t quite sure what to make message from the Celtics coach. Was it just honest feedback? Perhaps a strategic ploy designed to motivate him to take his game to another level? The comments came, according to Walsh, at the very beginning, adding to the surprise because of how early it was. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was like \u2018dang Joe\u2019, the year just started,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a set-up or mindgame I guess, I don\u2019t know. After I started I had all those ups and downs. It\u2019s part of the process I guess. It\u2019s only going to make me better for this upcoming postseason.\u201d <\/p>\n

In this upcoming first-round playoff series, Boston will need all the help it can get while attempting to guard ultra-quick two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey. <\/p>\n

The first two matchups with Philadelphia came in October, when Walsh was not getting playing time. But, on Nov. 11, coach Joe Mazzulla gave Walsh a shot. He played 29 minutes and Maxey went 5-for-17, marking the first time the Celtics had held him under 50 percent shooting this season. <\/p>\n

Walsh didn\u2019t play as many minutes during the Celtics\u2019 most recent win against Philadelphia, but he did get opportunities to guard Maxey in the fourth quarter, during which the 76ers guard shot 1-for-4 from the field. <\/p>\n

The more Walsh can do in this series to pester Maxey, the better his odds of staying on the floor. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost of it is kind of like a review,\u201d Walsh said of his preparation. \u201cObviously we played them four times and we split [the games]. I think the biggest thing is going over the past mistakes we went through, where we went wrong, especially me guarding him as the guy that was on him most of the time in the games that I played.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then of course I\u2019m with [Jaylen Brown] now talking about things that Maxey doesn\u2019t like, ways to get under his skin, stuff that is beyond the scouting report that I can learn and apply.\u201d <\/p>\n

Walsh is preparing for the biggest playoff workload of his career. He has averaged three minutes per game over eight postseason games during the past two seasons. He was a rookie on the Celtics\u2019 championship team in 2024. He rubbed his face as he recalled the difference between preparing for his rookie role and what he\u2019s doing to get ready for this series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just thinking about this [Friday] actually,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cBecause we were working out and talking about people going into summer lifts and practices before games and stuff like that. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey were like \u2018Jordan, that\u2019s not you\u2019, you\u2019re not doing that this year. I\u2019m like \u2018dang time\u2019s flying\u2019. It\u2019s cool to see because Hugo [Gonzalez], John [Tonje], and Max [Shulga] are all doing the things we were doing my rookie year, playing those games and all that stuff \u2026 it\u2019s kind of cool to see it progress to where it is now to where I have to be prepared to play.\u2019 <\/p>\n

The playoffs are here, and one can never truly know exactly what to expect until they experience it. <\/p>\n

While experience is valuable and often advantageous, there is also an upside to approaching a situation with fresh eyes. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can go either way,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cYou can be so experienced to where you overthink because you\u2019ve had so many situations or you can just go in with zero expectations and be able to execute. I don\u2019t think it really matters either way. I think everything has a good and a bad side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn reality we\u2019ve got to be focused on the main thing. We\u2019re playing against a great team. If you do it for one quarter or one half, it doesn\u2019t really matter. You have to choose to do it over and over again \u2026 you have to have a clear understanding of what leads to winning and try to do that every night. Know that nothing is guaranteed.\u201d <\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\t\tKhari A. Thompson<\/a>Sports Reporter\t<\/p>\n

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.<\/p>\n

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