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redslastlaugh wrote:Now that we have some sample to look at, was Jordan Walsh the correct pick at 38 in the 2023 draft?
These are the players drafted later than Jordan who have played minutes this season
1. Toumani Camara
2. Jalen Wilson
3. Jordan Miller
4. Trayce Jackson-Davis
5. Rayan Rupert
6. Isaiah Wong
7. Sidy Cissoko
8. Maxwell Lewis
9. Mouhammed Gueye
And then undrafted players
1. Ricky Council
2. Tyrese Martin
3. Adam Flagler
4. Adama Sanogo
And we ended up with Drew Peterson undrafted in 2023.
I like the Walsh pick, still like the upside. Like Drew Peterson as UDFA. But I think Camara, for sure, would have been nice. And maybe a couple of others, Jalen Wilson, Sidy Cissoko… TJD has been a steal but if Joe only wants Queta and Luke as non shooters, I can see why Brad passed on him, though I have loved TJD physicality against Giannis when I’ve caught Warriors/Bucks…
So fundamentally, I still like the Walsh pick, Peterson may end up better. And 2023 looks like a really deep draft, maybe 10 second rounders and undrafted guys with a chance at a lengthy, productive career
redslastlaugh wrote:Gosh, how did I miss him? I was looking at this years sophomore stats and GG hasn’t played this season, wasn’t on the list of players and therefore slipped my mind.
GG Jackson a definite contender to have a better career than Walsh, though for our team I like Walsh better because we need the 3-d with length archetype… but yes, GG is a definite person I should have had on the list in my post
Hal14 wrote:redslastlaugh wrote:Gosh, how did I miss him? I was looking at this years sophomore stats and GG hasn’t played this season, wasn’t on the list of players and therefore slipped my mind.
GG Jackson a definite contender to have a better career than Walsh, though for our team I like Walsh better because we need the 3-d with length archetype… but yes, GG is a definite person I should have had on the list in my post
Yeah GG has been injured, that's why he hasn't played this season.
As for your question, though..I think it's still a bit early. It's typically best to wait until at least 3 years after a guy has been drafted before you start to be able to determine with a decent level of accuracy if it was a good draft pick or not and if not, who you should've drafted instead.
Smart2Nesmith43 wrote:Hal14 wrote:redslastlaugh wrote:Gosh, how did I miss him? I was looking at this years sophomore stats and GG hasn’t played this season, wasn’t on the list of players and therefore slipped my mind.
GG Jackson a definite contender to have a better career than Walsh, though for our team I like Walsh better because we need the 3-d with length archetype… but yes, GG is a definite person I should have had on the list in my post
Yeah GG has been injured, that's why he hasn't played this season.
As for your question, though..I think it's still a bit early. It's typically best to wait until at least 3 years after a guy has been drafted before you start to be able to determine with a decent level of accuracy if it was a good draft pick or not and if not, who you should've drafted instead.
Even three years is still too early to make definitive call on who will turn up better. You could have easily argued that all of Mitchell Robinson, Gary Trent and Devonte Graham were better than Jalen Brunson after their third year in the league. Obviously that didn't age well.
brackdan70 wrote:Celtics are 17-3 when JW plays more than 5 minutes.
Smart2Nesmith43 wrote:brackdan70 wrote:Celtics are 17-3 when JW plays more than 5 minutes.
I'm as vocal as anybody here defending Walsh but I wish people would stop with stats like this, trying to imply that when Walsh plays more the Celtics win more when it's quite clearly the other way around. When the Celtics are winning comfortably then they can afford to play Walsh more minutes. NBA teams tend a large percentage of games when they have a big lead (even the Celtics despite what some posters here would have you believe). The only other scenario where he sees significant time is if the Celtics get blown out and there is significant garbage time but that almost never happens.
He's obviously not as good as the three rotation wings of the Celtics (Tatum, Brown, Hauser). Him playing more would cut into the playing time of better players and degrade the overall effectiveness of the team. I can understand wanting Walsh to get more minutes to speed up his development or give the starters a breather but saying play Walsh more = more wins is disingenuous.
Though Jordan’s basketball origin story is similar to most NBA players, the game began to carry significantly more weight at an early age. Just a few years into his athletic career, Walsh began losing his hair. Then, when he was just 9 years old, he was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes complete hair loss.
Sandra described those early years post-diagnosis as “extremely difficult.” The other kids relentlessly made fun of her son, and consequently, he covered his head whenever possible.
His mother simply yearned for him to be happy — and, as such, she absorbed the weight of his struggles.
“That was the only big worry that he had,” Sandra said of the alopecia. “So, that was the big one that I had.”
As Jordan navigated the hair loss, she picked up on something critical; the alopecia faded into the background when her son competed in the sport he fell in love with as a toddler.
“The only time that he did not have anything on his head was when he was on that basketball court,” she said. “That’s when we saw his confidence, and that’s when we saw that he was no longer worried about his condition. It wasn’t until he came off of the basketball court, even when other players would tease him about his condition, he didn’t seem to be at all worried about it.”
In response to the jokes and quips from classmates, Walsh simply outplayed the other kids on the court.
“My husband and I were looking at each other like, ‘Wow, this kid might actually be able to play,’” Sandra said. “He was just a kid — and he’s dunking the ball over all these other kids.”
Now a 21-year-old NBA player, Walsh provides mentorship and support for kids with alopecia who are struggling. He benefitted from his mentorship a few years back, when he got connected with former NBA player Charlie Villanueva who also suffers from the condition.
Now, any time someone with alopecia reaches out, he’ll set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting with them.
To this day, his mother still views basketball as a saving grace.
“When he was first diagnosed, we didn’t know what was going to take his mind off of it,” Sandra said. “So, I see basketball probably a little different than other mothers.”
“It saved my son, literally, from a life of insecurity and pain and that kind of suffering that I see. The fact that he’s become such a figure, an image, and a mentor for other kids with alopecia — and he’s been able to do that through basketball.”
When Draft Night came around, Jordan paced around the room, worried he might never hear his name. He was ultimately selected by the Boston Celtics as their 38th overall pick.
“I had never seen him so nervous,” Sandra recalled. “And then when they called his name, he almost cried. So, Mom almost cried.”
Sandra said her son was thrilled that the Celtics, in particular, had selected him.
“Jordan was so excited. So automatically, that meant I was excited as well. Jordan was so excited. Jordan was excited. He was excited,” she repeated over and over, trying to find the words to capture the enormity of the moment.
Gant wrote:Here's a fantastic article from Noa Dalzell on Jordan Walsh.Though Jordan’s basketball origin story is similar to most NBA players, the game began to carry significantly more weight at an early age. Just a few years into his athletic career, Walsh began losing his hair. Then, when he was just 9 years old, he was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes complete hair loss.
Sandra described those early years post-diagnosis as “extremely difficult.” The other kids relentlessly made fun of her son, and consequently, he covered his head whenever possible.
His mother simply yearned for him to be happy — and, as such, she absorbed the weight of his struggles.
“That was the only big worry that he had,” Sandra said of the alopecia. “So, that was the big one that I had.”
As Jordan navigated the hair loss, she picked up on something critical; the alopecia faded into the background when her son competed in the sport he fell in love with as a toddler.
“The only time that he did not have anything on his head was when he was on that basketball court,” she said. “That’s when we saw his confidence, and that’s when we saw that he was no longer worried about his condition. It wasn’t until he came off of the basketball court, even when other players would tease him about his condition, he didn’t seem to be at all worried about it.”
In response to the jokes and quips from classmates, Walsh simply outplayed the other kids on the court.
“My husband and I were looking at each other like, ‘Wow, this kid might actually be able to play,’” Sandra said. “He was just a kid — and he’s dunking the ball over all these other kids.”Now a 21-year-old NBA player, Walsh provides mentorship and support for kids with alopecia who are struggling. He benefitted from his mentorship a few years back, when he got connected with former NBA player Charlie Villanueva who also suffers from the condition.
Now, any time someone with alopecia reaches out, he’ll set up a 1-on-1 Zoom meeting with them.
To this day, his mother still views basketball as a saving grace.
“When he was first diagnosed, we didn’t know what was going to take his mind off of it,” Sandra said. “So, I see basketball probably a little different than other mothers.”
“It saved my son, literally, from a life of insecurity and pain and that kind of suffering that I see. The fact that he’s become such a figure, an image, and a mentor for other kids with alopecia — and he’s been able to do that through basketball.”
https://www.celticsblog.com/2025/3/10/24376902/jordan-walsh-mom-boston-celtics-basketball-alopecia-hair-loss-arkansas
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