When a player explodes for 37 points, including nine in the final 30 seconds, you wouldn’t expect to hear postgame praise for his primary defender.
The Celtics, though, were encouraged by the job Jordan Walsh did against Clippers star James Harden in Sunday’s 121-118 win at TD Garden.
Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White all used the word “great” to describe Walsh’s performance in the third-year pro’s second start of the season.
“His defense (over) the last however many games has been great,” White said. “Obviously, a lot of different types of matchups, and tonight’s a challenging one. Like, a couple times, we didn’t get the calls because he’s a young kid trying to figure it out. So I think it’s great for him to grow and learn from these matchups. He’s competing at a high level, and he can do a lot of different things defensively. So he’s been great for us, and it’s great to see.”
Walsh, who’s also matched up against Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. over the last week, held Harden to five first-half points on 1-of-7 shooting. He grabbed two steals, blocked one shot and gathered eight rebounds against LA, and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said he “did an outstanding job trying to frustrate James, wear him down, make him tired.”
“I think he’s been doing a heck of a job defending,” Payton Pritchard said. “We need that. He brings the energy guarding the best defender every night. I think that’s his calling card, and he needs to continue it, because he has great potential in that area. As his offensive game grows, his defensive game, that’s what will keep him on the court.”
His biggest issue, as White noted, was fouling, which helped the former NBA MVP get rolling after halftime. Walsh was called for five shooting fouls against Harden — some obvious, some ticky-tack.
“There’s some room for improvement,” Brown said. “You don’t want to give a guy free throws, and I think he put him on the line a lot in the second half. That kind of gets guys going, when they see a bunch of free throws. I think we sent him to the line three straight possessions, and then that got him going. But I think Jordan has been doing an excellent job. I think it’s his energy level. His physicality has been good. He’s just got to keep building on it, because we need a guy like that that’s going to guard the best players night in and night out.”
Walsh’s most consequential whistle came with 21.8 seconds remaining, when he fouled an incandescent Harden on a missed 3-pointer. Harden made all three free throws, then hit two more threes before ringing iron on what would have been a game-tying buzzer-beater.
Mazzulla called Harden, who used to average more than 10 foul shots per game in his prime, “one of the most elite foul-drawers.” Walsh’s foul in that spot, the Celtics coach said, was regrettable but understandable.
“He’s one of the best foul-drawers in the league,” Mazzulla said. “I think (Walsh) did a great job. I’d prefer not to get a flagrant foul on a three-point shot, but it’s easier said than done when you have to guard him for as long as he did, for 33 straight minutes. So I thought he was very good, and I thought he made some winning plays throughout the entire game, and that’s the role. That’s what you have to become, is a guy that can guard anybody on any given night, and he’s embracing that.”
The 21-year-old’s competitiveness in that role has rocketed him up the Celtics’ depth chart, leapfrogging fellow young wings Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman. A healthy DNP in four of the first eight games, Walsh now has played at least 18 minutes in six straight contests, with Boston outscoring its opponent with him on the floor in all six. His 33 minutes against the Clippers were a career high.
“What the team needs is somebody that can go out and guard (the opponent’s) best player every night,” Brown said, “and even when Jordan wasn’t playing, I was telling him, ‘That guy could be you.’ He’s got his opportunity, and he’s playing well right now, so we’ve got to keep that going.”
Bench quiet
Sam Hauser played just seven minutes in Sunday’s win, by far his fewest in any game this season, and finished with no points on 0-for-3 shooting.
A characteristically reliable shooter early this season, Hauser has made just 5 of his 34 threes (14.7%) and 1 of 6 twos over the Celtics’ last seven contests. He’s scored in double figures just twice this season, and not since Oct. 29.
Anfernee Simons also posted his first goose egg in a Celtics uniform, going 0-for-3 with two turnovers in his 12 minutes off the bench. Scheierman (plus-12) was the only Boston reserve to record a positive plus/minus in the win.
Luka Garza had 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, plus three offensive rebounds — but Boston’s backup center was a minus-14 and fouled out after just 14 minutes of floor time.
Lue supporting Tatum
Lue is both the Clippers’ head coach and Jayson Tatum’s cousin. As the latter, he’s done what he can to support the rehabbing Celtics star while he works his way back from Achilles surgery.
“Just being very supportive,” Lue said. “Just being positive. Just telling him about the process and what he has to go through, but when he comes back, be a better player — areas he can work on to be a better player and just to see the game from a different light. When you’re sitting back and watching the game and you’re not playing, you can kind of see what your value is, what you can bring to the team, what you can do better. And so he’s been great. His spirits have been great, and he’s doing a great job attacking his rehab.”
Teammates have praised Tatum for his attentiveness during his recovery. He’s trained daily at the Celtics’ Auerbach Center practice facility and has attended nearly every game this season, home and road. Center Neemias Queta said Tatum has acted as “a kind of coach” during games, offering tips while he watches from the bench.
Brown agreed with that assessment.
“He’s been super active,” Brown told reporters on Saturday. “He’s been around. It’s been dope to see. He’s been engaged. He’s been on a majority of every flight. He’s been in almost every film session. So that level of dedication — you can tell he’s eager to get back. A lot of guys that know they’ve got a lot of time, they’re going to separate themselves mentally a little bit or whatever. He’s been there. He’s been like an extra coach, almost, in a sense, so it’s been kind of cool to see.”
Off the rim
With the Patriots off after defeating the Jets on “Thursday Night Football,” cornerback Christian Gonzalez and running back TreVeyon Henderson spent their Sunday at TD Garden. Both drew loud ovations when they were shown on the Jumbotron during the first half.
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