The NBA’s annual Las Vegas Summer League is an opportunity for players on the fringes of the league to showcase their skills and potentially earn a spot on a team’s roster — whether that roster is in the NBA, the G League, or abroad. And Boston Celtics rookie wing Jordan Walsh has found himself ranked among the best incoming rookies of the 2023 draft cohort.
Fifth out of all incoming rookies, in fact, by SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell, coming in higher than two lottery picks in the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, the fourth and fifth picks respectively. Before you get too excited, remember this is just for summer league — not future potential. That said, Walsh has a lot more of it than he was credited by virtue of his No. 38 draft position — not that Celtics fans are complaining.
“Walsh’s combination of size and defense helped make him a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American out of Link Academy, but his lack of offensive development as a freshman at Arkansas pushed him down to the No. 38 pick in the draft,” notes O’Donnell.
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The big surprise in Las Vegas was how much better his offense already looks at this level,” he adds. “Walsh will still make his money on the defensive end, where he’s quick enough to guard guards, strong enough to defend forwards, and long enough … to contest shots regardless of the matchup.”
“The offense was more surprising: Walsh was taking and making 3-pointers, attacking without fear, and finding ways to make shots from floater range. Just adding a decent jump shot would take Walsh’s game to the next level, and he might already be there.”
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