Before the break, Brooklyn was blown out 50 points by the youngster, who scored some serious runs.
Boston — In his first true rotation minutes in the NBA, Jordan Walsh arrived in the first quarter feeling a little nervous. Throughout the season, he had been preparing for this moment by switching to a supplementary role with the Maine Celtics, which would better prepare him for his future NBA jump. It’s only basketball, Walsh reassured himself after Joe Mazzulla called him to the scorer’s table. You have lived your entire life doing this.
When Payton Pritchard made his NBA debut in 2020, he had a different reaction. In the first place, unlike on Wednesday with Walsh, a sizable audience of supporters did not anticipate his every shot when the Celtics played in front of largely empty arenas during the height of the COVID pandemic. Pritchard also spent four years in college playing basketball, and he came to the NBA more experienced, skillful, and physically prepared.
He’ll get used to it, Pritchard said. He will be unique, as I mentioned earlier.
Walsh was called for a foul moments into his debut for attempting to pass a screen, and officials also penalized him twice for attempting to be physically aggressive near the basket. However, Mazzulla let Walsh to play through a rocky start, and the Celtics defeated the Nets by 50 points on Wednesday. Walsh went scoreless on his 0-for-3 shooting attempt but made up for it with five rebounds, one steal, and one block.
In the locker room after the game, Walsh told CLNS Media/CelticsBlog, “It’s definitely a different feeling. They were already up 30 in the first, so obviously that took some of the load off.” “It’s physicality is beyond compare. You will sense something even if it’s just minor, subtle stuff that the referees, you, and us may not see.
You will feel it and know without a doubt that it was done to you by someone. It’s just little things like that. The defense will stop at nothing to break your rhythm. Sometimes I try to do it myself. I was on the court tonight and it happened quite a bit. It goes without saying that you must be tough through everything—the physicality of it, the tempo, and the ease with which things change from quick to slow.
When Walsh grabbed the ball from Mikal Bridges and attacked Dennis Schröder one-on-one in transition, it was the first time he felt that way. He felt a slap on his arm as he attempted to step into a euro finish, losing the ball without a call as he tumbled to the ground. He suddenly realized that he should merely return to defense mode. He thought telepathically that Jrue Holiday would throw him a lob pass ahead of the defense on his second try, but instead he was hit by a bounce pass and slipped. Walsh occasionally trips over the lines on the floor, according to jokes made by Celtics assistant coach Ross McMains.
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