The emergence of a new Celtics starter is changing everything for Joe Mazzulla

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The emergence of a new Celtics starter is changing everything for Joe Mazzulla

Brian Robb · MassLive

Fri, Dec 5, 2025 ·

3 min read

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The Celtics wing position was supposed to be a major question when the season began with Jayson Tatum sidelined. Two months later, it has turned into one of Boston ’s biggest strengths, with Jordan Walsh being one of the main reasons why.

The Celtics improved to 8-2 on Thursday night with Walsh inserted into the starting lineup after a 146-101 blowout win over the Wizards. Walsh was front and center in the dominant offensive outing, erupting for a career-high 22 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field, all while sitting out the entire fourth quarter.

Walsh has been a reliable contributor all year long from a defensive and rebounding standpoint, guarding players of all sizes as the defensive stopper in Boston’s starting five. However, his offensive progression has been on display recently too as he’s hitting 60 percent of his shots since joining the starters while averaging 24 minutes per game.

“I think confidence is a big part of it, and getting reps,” Walsh told reporters in Washington via NBC Sports Boston. “You do so much with coaches in practice, and so much in workouts, but it’s different when you’re in a game, going full speed downhill against a guy. Then, it’s like, ‘Alright, how are you actually gonna perform in this scenario. I think being able to be in that scenario over and over again, now I think, is what made the biggest leap.”

The development of Walsh so quickly into his third season has suddenly left Joe Mazzulla with a surprise surplus at the position even in Tatum’s absence. Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez , Josh Minott and Baylor Scheierman have all been reliable contributors lately, with small-ball lineups paving the way for regular playing time in recent weeks.

The development of the 21-year-old Walsh is perhaps the most promising revelation, given his familiarity with the system over the past two years. However, the fact that all four guys are low-cost players under contract through at least next season is a huge deal for Boston’s future.

The Celtics will be able to continue developing Walsh and these younger wings with valuable reps on a good team for the foreseeable future. That allows them to save some wear and tear on Boston’s top talent ( Jaylen Brown , Derrick White ) in the meantime as we saw Thursday night with Boston rolling while Brown rested at home due to illness.

The trajectory of Boston’s season also suddenly looks different with Walsh and company rising above expectations. The Celtics have the fifth-best net rating in the NBA and sit just 1.5 games out of the No. 2 seed in the East. Boston looks like a team that can compete with anyone in the conference even before the possibility emerges of Tatum getting cleared to return in the second half of the season.

Suddenly, the Celtics seem like a team that’s ahead of schedule in what was expected to be a developmental year. If Walsh continues to play like this, the potential upside may be greater than anticipated for this group in a wide open East.

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