Welcome to Boston, Jordan Walsh!

[batabatuta]

Read on Twitter

I was saying the other day, that it really seems like the Celtics are high on this guy.

-Had him in for TWO workouts before the draft
-Reports said that the coaches were working extra closely with him at summer league practice the other day
-Brad has said some really positive things about him in the media, like how he improved his shooting a lot from the first workout he had with us to the 2nd..

We could have easily given Walsh the same treatment/process we had with Hauser. 2-way contract for year 1, then if he shows enough in practice and in g league during year 1 (and summer league), then he gets the 4 year dirt cheap rookie deal that Hauser got. 1st year to develop in g league, before starting the clock on that dirt cheap rookie deal. Don't start that clock until the player is ready to contribute.

We gave Hauser that same contract last summer and then he got 15 MPG this past season and was a key contributor as an 8th-10th man.

I'm not saying Walsh is gonna play as much as Hauser did last season. I'm just saying that it seems like the C's are high on Walsh, he probably will get a shot at some minutes this season. AND with Smart and Grant done, someone has got to be the dog. Someone has to bring the toughness, the mean streak, the tenacity. Someone has to be on the floor, whose primary objective is to really get in the jock of a good offensive player, really get up in his face defensively, make that offensive player feel uncomfortable, rattle his cage, force some turnovers, wreak some havoc..

Now get me JD on the big roster Brad!! It's all coming together for my binkies!!

Sadly, I think Brad is looking for tall players so he's probably gonna be expendable soon.

[keevsnick1]

Read on Twitter

This isn't really that much of a surprise. Guys drafted in the 30's tend to skip the two-ways and get actual NBA contracts, and having him on a super cheap deal saves them tax money. They used the new 2nd round exception.

[Hal14]

Read on Twitter

This isn't really that much of a surprise. Guys drafted in the 30's tend to skip the two-ways and get actual NBA contracts, and having him on a super cheap deal saves them tax money. They used the new 2nd round exception.

I don't think that guy Simon's tweet is saying that it's surprising. I think he's simply saying that really good wing defenders who can guard 2-4 with ease are very valuable in the modern NBA - and it's good value to get a guy like that on such a cheap contract.

Sure, most picks in the 30's will probably get the same contract. But those other picks aren't Jordan Walsh. Walsh is considered by many to be the best perimeter defender in this draft class.

Another guy who is an elite perimeter defender but limited on offense (Matisse Thybulle) just got a 3 year, $33 mil contract. Herb Jones is another guy who's an elite perimeter defender but limited on offense - he just signed a 4 year, $54 mil extension with New Orleans. Perhaps the guy who tweeted this is thinking that (maybe not in year 1 but at some point in Walsh's 4 year rookie contract with Boston), him getting under $2 mil a year will look like a steal, when you look at what Thybulle and Herb Jones are making.

It could end up being a similar situation to what we saw this season with sam Hauser. A few times during the season, C's fans joked about how much of a steal Hauser's contract was, compared to the kind of money that Duncan Robinson (or Fournier or Joe Harris) were getting.

[djFan71]

Never a doubt. Walsh is gonna play quite a bit this year, esp as the team stands now.

[hugepatsfan]

We're way jumping the gun saying what Walsh is. I know he has a great defensive reputation, but let's see him even do that against NBA guys. It's fun to think we found some diamond in the ruff, but most players drafted in this range are horrible. Even if he has a Semi Ojeleye career that would be better than you expect from most 2nd rounders.

[Hal14]

We're way jumping the gun saying what Walsh is. I know he has a great defensive reputation, but let's see him even do that against NBA guys. It's fun to think we found some diamond in the ruff, but most players drafted in this range are horrible. Even if he has a Semi Ojeleye career that would be better than you expect from most 2nd rounders.

I don't think anyone is "way jumping the gun". All anyone has said is that he's got a chance to get some minutes as a rookie, he could end up (maybe not in year 1 but at some point on his 4 year rookie contract) looking like a steal for under $2 mil a year - especially if he ends up being like a Herb Jones / Thybulle type of guy. Those are both realistic comps, imo.

We're just saying he's a good defender and could be a decent role player for us. No one is saying he's gonna be a hall of famer or anything, lol.

You seem to be just dismissing him because of where he was drafted. Walsh was 38th pick. Jones was 35th, Thybulle was 20th.

On this reputable site, they have Walsh ranked 27th in the draft class:
https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft-guide/

That site has Jaquez (who went 18th to Miami) ranked 47th. So perhaps Walsh is actually better than his draft position indicates.

It's best to not read too deeply into draft position anyways. Every year, there's guys who get drafted higher (Moses Moody, 14th pick, James Bouknight, 11th pick, Duarte 13th pick, Kai Jones, 19th pick, Ziaire Williams, 10th pick, Nesmith and Langford, 14th pick) or lower (Jokic, 41st pick, Herb Jones, 35th pick, Austin Reaves, undrafted, Sam Hauser, undrafted, Walker Kessler, 22nd pick, Nic Claxton, Desmond Bane, 30th pick, Tyrese Maxey, 21st pick, Georges Niang, 50th pick, Paul Reed, 58th pick, Jaden Mcdaniels, 28th pick, Caleb Martin, undrafted, Joe Harris, 33rd pick) than they should have.

That site says Walsh "is the top wing defender in this draft class". And this is what Brad says:

Read on Twitter

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

[hugepatsfan]

We're way jumping the gun saying what Walsh is. I know he has a great defensive reputation, but let's see him even do that against NBA guys. It's fun to think we found some diamond in the ruff, but most players drafted in this range are horrible. Even if he has a Semi Ojeleye career that would be better than you expect from most 2nd rounders.

I don't think anyone is "way jumping the gun". All anyone has said is that he's got a chance to get some minutes as a rookie, he could end up (maybe not in year 1 but at some point on his 4 year rookie contract) looking like a steal for under $2 mil a year - especially if he ends up being like a Herb Jones / Thybulle type of guy. Those are both realistic comps, imo.

We're just saying he's a good defender and could be a decent role player for us. No one is saying he's gonna be a hall of famer or anything, lol.

You seem to be just dismissing him because of where he was drafted. Walsh was 38th pick. Jones was 35th, Thybulle was 20th.

On this reputable site, they have Walsh ranked 27th in the draft class:
https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft-guide/

That site has Jaquez (who went 18th to Miami) ranked 47th. So perhaps Walsh is actually better than his draft position indicates. That site says Walsh "is the top wing defender in this draft class". And this is what Brad says:

Read on Twitter

I'm saying that, as good as the reputation is, it's a leap to even pencil him in as a good defender against NBA competition right now. Certainly promising, but people here are penciling him in for minutes and already defining what his strengths are.

[djFan71]

Upon reflection, and using a staid and flaccid analysis of pertinent facts and relevant historical precedents we should withhold judgment, and avoid having any fun or ascribing any sort of relevance to a player who the team we waste time, words and bytes discussing daily has drafted and signed to a contract.

I hereby recant any previous, superfluous emissions of excitement and apologize to those who had to endure them.

[31to6]

Upon reflection, and using a staid and flaccid analysis of pertinent facts and relevant historical precedents we should withhold judgment, and avoid having any fun or ascribing any sort of relevance to a player who the team we waste time, words and bytes discussing daily has drafted and signed to a contract.

I hereby recant any previous, superfluous emissions of excitement and apologize to those who had to endure them.

[Bad-Thoma]

Upon reflection, and using a staid and flaccid analysis of pertinent facts and relevant historical precedents we should withhold judgment, and avoid having any fun or ascribing any sort of relevance to a player who the team we waste time, words and bytes discussing daily has drafted and signed to a contract.

I hereby recant any previous, superfluous emissions of excitement and apologize to those who had to endure them.

[31to6]

I think we’re just following the Celtics’ lead here — they are clearly confident in their SRP and have a reason to be — maybe it’s overconfidence and/or won’t bear fruit, but they’re organizationally set up to need to hit on guys like Walsh, and are maybe celebrating early — we’ll see?

[Hal14]

We're way jumping the gun saying what Walsh is. I know he has a great defensive reputation, but let's see him even do that against NBA guys. It's fun to think we found some diamond in the ruff, but most players drafted in this range are horrible. Even if he has a Semi Ojeleye career that would be better than you expect from most 2nd rounders.

I don't think anyone is "way jumping the gun". All anyone has said is that he's got a chance to get some minutes as a rookie, he could end up (maybe not in year 1 but at some point on his 4 year rookie contract) looking like a steal for under $2 mil a year - especially if he ends up being like a Herb Jones / Thybulle type of guy. Those are both realistic comps, imo.

We're just saying he's a good defender and could be a decent role player for us. No one is saying he's gonna be a hall of famer or anything, lol.

You seem to be just dismissing him because of where he was drafted. Walsh was 38th pick. Jones was 35th, Thybulle was 20th.

On this reputable site, they have Walsh ranked 27th in the draft class:
https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft-guide/

That site has Jaquez (who went 18th to Miami) ranked 47th. So perhaps Walsh is actually better than his draft position indicates. That site says Walsh "is the top wing defender in this draft class". And this is what Brad says:

Read on Twitter

I'm saying that, as good as the reputation is, it's a leap to even pencil him in as a good defender against NBA competition right now. Certainly promising, but people here are penciling him in for minutes and already defining what his strengths are.

I mean, there have been scouting reports, mock drafts, videos and big boards posted on dozens of different sites dating back to last August. This mock was posted last August, with Walsh going 21st:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10038876-way-too-early-2023-nba-mock-draft-the-year-of-victor-wembanyama

None of the players in the 2023 draft class have played an NBA game yet, but there's still been hundreds of pieces of content published about them, hours of podcasts with experts breaking down these players and their games, countless scouting reports breaking down their strengths, their weaknesses, how good they are, what type of role they project to have in the NBA, etc.

None of these players have played a NBA game yet. It's called projections. Experts (or just fans) look up their stats, they watch hours of film, look at the little things - the nuances in their game, their microskills to try and figure out based on how they have played up to this point (as well as how they looked at the combine, what type of mental makeup/attitude/personality they have, their wingspan, etc. and try to project how good they might end up being and what type of role they might have in the NBA.

Seems like this type of content isn't up your ally - and that's ok

Lastly, as for your comment about "let's see him against NBA players first", these are just some of the guys he has played against over the past 2 years, between his freshman year at Arkansas and his senior year at Link Academy:

Jarace Walker (8th pick in the draft)
Jett Howard (11th pick)
Keyonte George (16th pick)
GG Jackson (45th pick)
Brandon Miller (2nd pick)
Cason Wallace (10th pick)
Julian Phillips (35th pick)
Gradey Dick (13th pick)
Jalen Wilson (51st pick)
Noah Clowney (21st pick)
Chris Livingston (58th pick)
Kobe Brown (30th pick)
Dariq Whitehead (22nd pick)
Jalen Hood-Schifino (17th pick)
Jordan Hawkins (14th pick)
Andre Jackson Jr (36th pick)

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

Signing this generation's Dennis Rodman to that contract is a steal!

[Kalela]

Offensively he looked hopeless last season at Arkansas. It will be interesting to see how he does in Summer League. I guess we will find out if he really is that bad or if that team was holding him back.

[Parliament10]

Read on Twitter

Signing this generation's Dennis Rodman to that contract is a steal!

That's a Steal of a Deal.
I can see them re-doing it, after 2 years.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Read on Twitter

Signing this generation's Dennis Rodman to that contract is a steal!

That's a Steal of a Deal.
I can see them re-doing it, after 2 years.

Doubtful, the sweet spot is three years before making a new deal. That keeps him as RFA (waiting after the fourth year would make him a UFA) and you get full bird rights so you can offer him whatever contract you like. If he can play, they'll just decline the option and extend him after the third year. That makes the most sense.

The second round pick exception in the new CBA makes it much easier to sign those second rounders to 3 year deals and bridge to RFA with bird rights. You can keep second round picks under team control at a manageable number for much longer now. Stevens has clearly caught on to that. I'm not sure all the other GMs can say the same.

[Parliament10]

Read on Twitter

Signing this generation's Dennis Rodman to that contract is a steal!

That's a Steal of a Deal.
I can see them re-doing it, after 2 years.

Doubtful, the sweet spot is three years before making a new deal. That keeps him as RFA (waiting after the fourth year would make him a UFA) and you get full bird rights so you can offer him whatever contract you like. If he can play, they'll just decline the option and extend him after the third year. That makes the most sense.

The second round pick exception in the new CBA makes it much easier to sign those second rounders to 3 year deals and bridge to RFA with bird rights. You can keep second round picks under team control at a manageable number for much longer now. Stevens has clearly caught on to that. I'm not sure all the other GMs can say the same.

Well, being that the 3rd & 4th are non-guaranteed. I can see them redoing his contract, like they did with Hauser.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

That's a Steal of a Deal.
I can see them re-doing it, after 2 years.

Doubtful, the sweet spot is three years before making a new deal. That keeps him as RFA (waiting after the fourth year would make him a UFA) and you get full bird rights so you can offer him whatever contract you like. If he can play, they'll just decline the option and extend him after the third year. That makes the most sense.

The second round pick exception in the new CBA makes it much easier to sign those second rounders to 3 year deals and bridge to RFA with bird rights. You can keep second round picks under team control at a manageable number for much longer now. Stevens has clearly caught on to that. I'm not sure all the other GMs can say the same.

Well, being that the 3rd & 4th are non-guaranteed. I can see them redoing his contract, like they did with Hauser.

Different circumstances, different CBA. Hauser was coming off a two way. He was already a RFA.

If you try to extend Walsh after his second season, the Celtics are losing a year of control at a very reasonable price so they don't have an incentive to get it done early. Walsh doesn't have much incentive to get it done after his second season either considering the Celtics won't have full bird rights and will be way over the cap so will only be able to offer very limited raises.

It's in everybody's best interest to do an extension after the third season provided of course he can actually play. Today's debut in summer league was promising but the odds are still not exactly in his favor.

[Froob]

Walsh hitting 4-6 from 3 is really promising given he didn’t do it in college.

He’ll be in the rotation immediately if he can play his nba ready defense and give us league average 3 pt shooting.