Welcome Jordan Walsh!

[Big333223]

19 years old, plenty of time to develop more but from what I've heard he already has the defensive instincts and work ethic you want so this seems like exactly the type of player to go after with this kind of draft pick.

[gouki88]

Walsh stood out to me right away when I watched him. At first I thought it was because of his looks, but then I realized it was about his wingspan and how much area of the court he covered defensively. I loved his activity level.

He reminded me of the way Tony Allen used to hassle ball-handlers and cover a lot of ground with his quickness and wingspan. Obviously, he's not that good, but I'm hopefully he could turn into a solid defensive wing.

He's a guy you could see making an impact in a playoff game. Right now, you would essentially play him in the dunker's spot though, which isn't ideal. He needs to get comfortable shooting the 3. His form looks fine. He just needs reps.

I was thinking of TA too. Walsh to me seems longer, which made me think of a longer athlete type as a high end comparison, but TA sprung to mind

For sure. It's always poor practice to mention top players when trying to project what a player could be. But I think a lot of fans would try to compare him Thybulle, but their two styles are very different. Walsh fights over screens and covers ground to stay in front of ball-handlers. Thybulle trails them, which can lead to a compromised defense.

What do you think of the Gary Payton II comparison? Obviously smaller, but still long. Offensively I think they play similarly too.

Yeah, Thybulle doesn't play with the same kind of motor. More relying on anticipation and reading it.

Payton II is an intriguing one. Obvious physical differences, but I think the similarity is there. If Walsh could develop into a mid-30s shooter from deep, it would unlock a lot.

[Vermont Green]

With such a focus on Offense with this team you'd think they'd have taken a 3&D player versus a defensive specialist. I guess they feel the 2nd unit has enough scoring.  They still need wing depth and a backup PF.  4 open roster spots unless JD is signed to the big club.

PG - White
SG - Brown
SF - Tatum
PF - Zinger
C - Rob

2nd unit
PG - PP/Davidson
SG - Brogdon
SF - Hauser
PF - Walsh?
C - Al/Kornet

You left out Champagnie.  He is signed for next season but is non-guaranteed.  Right now though, he is officially on the roster.  I believe that if we sign Walsh (and you don't know, he could be a 2-way or a stash), that would make 12 including Champagnie.  I agree that it seems a good chance that Davison makes the regular roster, but maybe not both Davison and Champagnie.  One of them may end up on a 2-way.

[celts55]

I don’t claim to have a clue on any of these guys, but I assume that GM’s do. My feeling is if a player is available in the second round, there’s probably a reason. I get a kick out of reading posters talk about this guy is a steal, he’s going to be great, etc
I figure if the Celtics worked Walsh out twice and saw something in him they liked, go ahead and draft him.
There’s no guarantee any late first or second rounder is going to be a great player, but I’m sure there will be someone who slid and turns into a player. Then everyone can talk about how Stevens missed the guy and forget that 29 other teams did also

[liam]

His offense needs work but he might be able to log some spot minutes right from the jump because he can guard 1-4. We really could use a defensive specialist off the bench and I think that is Walsh's floor.

[keevsnick]

This is on of the two guys I was hoping they'd be in on, the other being OMP (drafted by Dallas at 24). The measurables are pretty elite, 6'6 without shoes, 8'11 reach, 7'2 wingspan. By comparison Jaylen Brown was about 6'5.5 without shoes, 8'7 standing reach, 7'0 wingspan so Walsh is even longer than JB. Enough size to play either 3 or 4.

He's a great athlete, near the top of combine testing in about every category. Looks extremely fluid when watching highlights. Legit will be able to defend 1-4 right away I think. He's got very little on offense right now, especially on ball. BUT the C's don't need that! They have plenty of shot creation right now, they need guys who don't need the ball to impact the game. Walsh could be that.

It's a nice upside play. If the guy figures out his shooting (the form doesn't look weird or broken) then he could end up one of those extremely valuable 3+D guys. If not he might still have a career as a deeper bench defensive specialist.

March 2004 birthday, so he'll be 19 almost all of next year.

[hwangjini_1]

I don’t claim to have a clue on any of these guys, but I assume that GM’s do. My feeling is if a player is available in the second round, there’s probably a reason. I get a kick out of reading posters talk about this guy is a steal, he’s going to be great, etc
I figure if the Celtics worked Walsh out twice and saw something in him they liked, go ahead and draft him.
There’s no guarantee any late first or second rounder is going to be a great player, but I’m sure there will be someone who slid and turns into a player. Then everyone can talk about how Stevens missed the guy and forget that 29 other teams did also

this article from cauldron agrees with your basic points.

https://the-cauldron.com/the-2nd-round-and-misuse-of-probability-402639df1038

it looked at second round picks from 10 drafts from 2003-2013. it found that about 74% of 2nd round picks make it to the NBA. (i was surprised.) but only about 19% make it past 3 years in the nba or are all stars (2.4%) (i was not surprised.)

so, who knows with walsh, but having 2nd round picks is not a bad thing.

[hardlyyardley]

Saw Arkansas a lot....exceptional defensive player!!....his hairdo is much different than last year's pick

[Birdman]

He looks like Charlie Villanueva

[Vermont Green]

This is on of the two guys I was hoping they'd be in on, the other being OMP (drafted by Dallas at 24). The measurables are pretty elite, 6'6 without shoes, 8'11 reach, 7'2 wingspan. By comparison Jaylen Brown was about 6'5.5 without shoes, 8'7 standing reach, 7'0 wingspan so Walsh is even longer than JB. Enough size to play either 3 or 4.

He's a great athlete, near the top of combine testing in about every category. Looks extremely fluid when watching highlights. Legit will be able to defend 1-4 right away I think. He's got very little on offense right now, especially on ball. BUT the C's don't need that! They have plenty of shot creation right now, they need guys who don't need the ball to impact the game. Walsh could be that.

It's a nice upside play. If the guy figures out his shooting (the form doesn't look weird or broken) then he could end up one of those extremely valuable 3+D guys. If not he might still have a career as a deeper bench defensive specialist.

March 2004 birthday, so he'll be 19 almost all of next year.

I like the principle of drafting athletic ability and length, things you can't teach, and then hope he figures out the rest over the next few years.  As a second rounder, we can put him on a 2-way, like we did with Davison.  I have not scouted this guy and even if I had, no one knows how a 19 year old is going to develop physically and emotionally.  Again, from a principle standpoint, getting a guy that at least has NBA athletic ability and length, all looks good.  Whether he will develop NBA shooting touch is anybody's guess, just like every other draft pick, every draft pick has questions.

[Goldstar88]

Thought this was an interesting read.

ABOUT
When Jordan Walsh announced his commitment to the University of Arkansas, he was the highest-ranked available player in the 2022 class. A 6-foot-7 forward from Texas, Jordan attended Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri. He chose the Razorbacks over Texas, Memphis, Arizona State and Kansas.

STATS
Jordan ranked No.7 overall in the ESPN 100 for the 2022 class, and he is the No. 2 player at his position. He has a 41-inch vertical and a 7-foot-3 wingspan. While in the Drive Nation program on the Nike EYBL circuit, Jordan averaged 12.3 points and 3.3 assists, shooting better than 50% inside the arch.

PERSONAL
Jordan grew up in Dallas with his mom, dad and twin brother, Joshua. His favorite player is Kevin Durant, and he says he wants to play just like him. Since a very early age, Jordan has struggled with Alopecia. He said while growing up he learned just because he looked different than others, it didn’t mean it was a bad difference. When asked what advice he has for others with Alopecia, he says, “Find something that will help keep your mind off negative thoughts, be yourself at all times and always love yourself.”

[knuckleballer]

Check out the wingspan.

[Who]

Mbah a Moute could be a good comp for him.

[vjcsmoke]

Walsh has the potential to become a serious defender with his size/length combo.

I've watched some tape and he has an uncanny timing to disrupt the offense with his long arms, knocking away the ball, picking off passes, etc.

So as far as defense I'd say his potential goes up to maybe as high as 90, as far as offense his potential looks to be very low, maybe a 50 at best, but at least he seems a willing passer who has good sense of the court to pass the ball away to better scorers.

Looks like a player who can impact the game without the ball in his hands so that's a good fit for us.

Very little offensive game outside of offensive putbacks and rebounds.  Has some off the ball game, could make cuts to the basket and score a few easy baskets that way but can't create his own shot and doesn't seem to have much of a handle or jumpshot.

Overall he could be useful in a couple of years but definitely feels like a long term project.  If he reaches his ceiling of 50 offense/90 defense that would still be worth putting on the floor for the disruption of the offense alone.  If Walsh learns to shoot, he would become a special player, but I really doubt his offensive upside.

[green_bballers13]

He was a top recruit coming out of HS and helped the Razorbacks make a championship run in the tourney. I am very happy with this pick. With his wingspan, he has rendered Grant Williams (not a good shooter coming out of college) expendable. Good moves Brad!