I really disliked the first game: Jordan Walsh

The incoming sophomore for the Boston Celtics is excited to move past his infamously bad start.

LAS VEGAS: There was evident irritation building as Jordan Walsh, making his 2024 Summer League debut, missed shot after shot. And the Boston Celtics wing let it fly following a botched call under the basket that resulted in a Miami Heat fast break.

When the whistle wasn’t blown, the resentment that had been building within of him eventually released into a tangible response. Although he had before lost his temper with referees, particularly when he was a member of the Maine Celtics, this was a long-lasting, reflective displeasure. He’s prepared to put the worst performance he’s given since being a Razorback behind him. Walsh grinned as he declared, “I don’t ever want to hear about that game ever again,” following practice on Monday.

Walsh finished the game with four points, five rebounds, and six fouls while making just one of eight field goals and zero of six three-point attempts. “It’s no secret—I had a horrible first game,” he remarked. However, Walsh appears to have identified the issue.

Walsh was mostly used in a 3-and-D role while he was in Maine, playing much like he did in Boston. He went against that idea in his first Summer League game of the year. Walsh remarked, “I think I’m focusing on the wrong thing.” “I think I ought to have concentrated harder on playing the way I would have if Tatum had been on the court. It seems like all I was thinking was that I was the only male on the floor.

“Not in a self-centered way, but in the sense that I wanted to get my shots and things of that sort. Furthermore, I think I shouldn’t have focused so much on hitting or missing shots. After just one year at Arkansas, Walsh departed from college. Using the new second-round exception, Boston moved back and selected him in the second round, inking him to a four-year contract.

Walsh entered the league as a teenager, and since then, his development with the green has involved much more than just his on-court performance.