Austin Reaves dropped 36 factors within the Lakers’ lopsided loss to the Celtics on Friday. However little or no of that manufacturing got here in opposition to the participant who’s emerged as Boston’s new defensive stopper, Jordan Walsh.
Walsh, given the Reaves project with Lakers stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James each inactive, defended Los Angeles’ breakout guard on greater than 45% of the LA’s possessions and held him to a few factors on 0-of-3 taking pictures with one block, based on NBA participant monitoring.
The remainder of the Lakers’ roster additionally had minimal success in opposition to Walsh. Opponents shot 1-for-5 and 0-for-2 from 3-point vary in opposition to him in Boston’s 126-105 win at TD Garden, totaling 5 factors and three turnovers.
After the sport, Reaves gushed about Walsh’s defensive potential.
“He simply performs arduous as crap each single possession,” he instructed CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning. “He don’t take a possession off. His skills, his size, his athleticism. He’s bodily gifted, strikes rather well. I might see him being probably the greatest defenders within the league for a few years to come back. … He’s a great participant.”
These defensive skills, coupled with the expertise and confidence he’s constructed over his two-plus seasons in Boston, have helped Walsh vault from deep reserve to extremely impactful starter over the past month. He’s matched up in opposition to a parade of All-Stars — Tyrese Maxey, Jaren Jackson Jr., James Harden, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Cities and extra — and the Celtics are 9-2 in video games he’s began.
Walsh isn’t simply offering worth on the defensive finish, although. He’s additionally upped his offensive manufacturing, scoring no less than 14 factors in three of his final 4 video games on hyper-efficient taking pictures.
The 21-year-old, who’d by no means scored greater than 10 factors in an NBA recreation earlier than final weekend, has made 19 of his final 20 field-goal makes an attempt, together with 5 of 6 threes throughout that span.
Towards the Cleveland Cavaliers final Saturday, Walsh notched his first career double-double with 14 factors and 11 rebounds. Tuesday in opposition to the New York Knicks, he outscored teammate Jaylen Brown in the fourth quarter to assist Boston safe considered one of its most spectacular dwelling victories of the season. He then tallied a career-best 22 points on 8-of-8 shooting Thursday in a 146-101 battering of the Washington Wizards, adopted by a 17-point effort in opposition to the Lakers that included a career-high 4 made 3-pointers.
Walsh’s averages throughout Boston’s present four-game profitable streak: 15.3 factors on 84.6% taking pictures (66.7% from three), 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 28.2 minutes.
“It’s been nice,” mentioned Brown, who advocated for Walsh’s current uptick in taking part in time. “It’s been nice. Truthfully, it’s been nice. I don’t wish to enhance his head up an excessive amount of. I don’t need him to begin getting cute. He’s bought to nonetheless deal with the main points, however he’s been doing a great job. However we’re going to wish him to take care of that, so y’all don’t enhance his head up an excessive amount of.”
Per Cleansing the Glass, Walsh ranks within the 87th percentile or higher amongst all NBA wings in steal fee (87th), block fee (96th), defensive rebounding share off missed area targets (88th), offensive rebounding share off missed area targets (97th), efficient field-goal share (96th) and factors per shot try (98th). He’s been an all-around difference-maker — and one of many greatest causes for Boston’s surge up the Japanese Convention standings.
As of Friday, the 14-9 Celtics, who started the season 0-3, sat only one recreation again of second place within the East.
