Celtics reserve eager for major assignment vs. 76ers star

Story by

Story by
Celtics reserve eager for major assignment vs. 76ers star

Brian Robb, Souichi Terada · MassLive

Sat, Apr 18, 2026 ·

4 min read

About Our Ads

BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla will have plenty of options on the Celtics bench to defend Tyrese Maxey entering Boston’s first-round series against the 76ers . However, there is one player that looks likely to see a bigger opportunity if the regular season is any indication.

Jordan Walsh already worked his way back into Boston’s rotation in the past few weeks as a trusted wing alongside Baylor Scheierman . However, his play against the Sixers this season should put him front and center for this series. One of his best defensive performances of the year came on Nov. 11 when he slowed down Maxey in a head-to-head matchup, helping to limit him to 5-of-17 shooting from the field in a 102-100 loss for the Celtics.

With Joel Embiid out of the lineup, Maxey will be a big focus for Boston, with Walsh’s play being a part of that equation.

“Most of it is kind of like a review,” Walsh said of the team’s prep. “Obviously, played them four times and we split. But I think the biggest thing is kind of like going over the past, what mistakes we went through, what we did wrong, especially me guarding him (Maxey), you know, a guy who’s on him most of the time in the games that I played. So I think it’s just a review. And then, of course, I’m with JB now, talking to him about things that Maxey doesn’t like, things that get under his skin, stuff that’s beyond the scouting report that I’m trying to learn and apply. But I think that’s the biggest thing for sure.”

Walsh has always been known for his defensive upside, but he hasn’t had a chance to factor in a playoff series in his rookie year. In just his second season, he’s looking to learn quickly and focus on being a nuisance for star scorers like Maxey.

“I think a lot of stars, guys like JB, who are kind of fueled with energy, the more you kind of like antagonize them, the harder they play, the better they play,” Walsh said. “So just knowing small stuff like that, and then small stuff that kind of irritates them to get under their skin, is huge because in the playoffs, the difference could be a second. And so trying to get any advantage that I can in any way that I can just leads to a win.”

Walsh will be just one of several players that will likely get a chance at slowing down Maxey, given how much he will be on the floor. He led the NBA in minutes at 38 per game, and that number should only go up with the Sixers playing without Embiid to start the series.

“I think the biggest thing is, like I’ve been saying all year, not letting the guy do what they want to do,” Walsh said. “Make them go to their second option, their third option, their second move, stuff like that. Like if he wants to go right and do a step-back, just don’t let him do that. Make him do something else. And then usually we’ll live with the end result.”

After having five days to prep for the Sixers star, Walsh is eager to show off what he’s learned and help Boston start another playoff run with championship aspirations.

“I learned a lot of things that will kind of like give me a sort of advantage over him,” Walsh said. “I’m not gonna say it because he might see it. There’s a couple things that I learned with talking to JB. He’s kind of taken point in that and showing me the film behind the film that we don’t see. But specific things that I think I’m going to be better at that I’ve seen but I will be better at.”

More Celtics content