Perhaps “The Garbage Man” is not flattering to the 21-year-old Walsh, but it is indeed a compliment because he has flourished the past few weeks doing the dirty work for a Celtics team that is establishing itself as a contender in the Eastern Conference. He notched his first career double-double in Sunday’s 117-115 win over the Cavaliers, including a rugged play that not only got the Celtics two free throws, but impressed demanding coach Joe Mazzulla.
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With the Celtics clinging to a 92-88 fourth-quarter lead after leading by as many as 21, Anfernee Simons fired an elbow 3-pointer that caromed to Cleveland’s De’Andre Hunter, who grabbed the ball in front of a pursuing Walsh. Instead of relenting, Walsh seized an opening and wrestled the ball from Hunter, then attacked the rim, forcing Donovan Mitchell to foul to prevent an easy layup.
Jordan Walsh defended against the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell in the Celtics’ win on Sunday.Phil Long/Associated Press
An empty possession turned into two free throws and a 6-point lead. It was a play that may have been overlooked by casual fans but noticed by those in the locker room, thus the “Garbage Man” moniker.
“The play was taking the ball from [Hunter] and getting the foul,” Mazzulla said with a smile. “Solely understanding what the role has to be every single night, and it’s a difficult task. But tonight, I thought you saw the best version of what he is on both ends of the floor. And he can be that every night, and he’s learning that, but that’s the Jordan that we need. If we want to get to a different level this year, he’s got to keep working. But tonight is a perfect example of him at his best, just on both ends of the floor. But I thought the play for him that was different was it wasn’t a jump ball. He just took it from him and got back to the free throw line.”
In eight games as a starter, Walsh is averaging 6.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 25 minutes. The Celtics first used Josh Minott to fill that 3-and-D role, but Mazzulla decided to give Walsh another shot during last month’s two-game series with Orlando and he delivered a critical 3-pointer in the Nov. 9 win.
Mazzulla is not asking Walsh to score. He’s asking him to do everything.
There were times Sunday when the Cavaliers did not guard Walsh in the halfcourt offense because they didn’t view him as a threat, but he began back-cutting for layups when the defense focused on Jaylen Brown. Walsh also is asked to defend the opposing team’s best player, grab key rebounds, and display hustle and grit.
“Obviously starting eight consecutive games is a layer to that [confidence],” Walsh said. “Just having the guys believe in me, how the guys trust me, tell me to shoot it, tell me to guard the best player, tell me when I play great defense, I feel all those things are building confidence.”
When asked about the Hunter steal, the baby-faced Walsh smiled.
“Yeah, I stole that,” he said. “I low key seen the ball and I went for a jump ball. I kind of held on to it for a second and they didn’t call a jump ball. And as a matter of fact, let me just get that [ball] . . . it crazy how it happened.”
Walsh’s next task is mastering the art of making the winning play, whatever that is. The steal from Hunter was a prime example of what Mazzulla seeks from Walsh — to gain extra possessions or a defensive stop, or shift the defense when he becomes an offensive threat. It’s a process because Walsh is less than four years removed from high school.
“I feel like there’s guys like [Brown] who can go out there and get his, Payton [Pritchard] who can go out there and get his,” Walsh said. “And within the chaos we have to have somebody picking up the pieces and trying to be the glue guy, keep everything together.”
Walsh then paused.
“Not the garbage man, and I was about to say it, too. I have to find a way around that, definitely not the garbage man. I have to find those pockets to affect the game. When JB and Payton are shooting those shots somebody needs to get the rebound. It’s either going to be them or it’s going to be us.
“Why not make it me?”
With Payton Pritchard scoring a season-high 42 points on Sunday, the Celtics are surging. Ben Volin admits we were too quick to write them off earlier this seas
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
