The Boston Celtics need more offense in the starting lineup to take some pressure off of Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Derrick White; not defense. Jordan Walsh shouldn't have been in the starting lineup in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons, and he shouldn't be a full-time starter moving forward.
Walsh has been a fantastic defender since joining the league a few years ago, and he has improved offensively (particularly as a shooter; he had career-high 50.9/38.4/77.2% shooting splits last season). But he's also just not good enough to be a starter at the NBA level right now.
Jordan Walsh was unimpressive for the Celtics against Detroit
I understand a few things here: 1) the Celtics' lineup is missing some extra wing defense with Jaylen Brown gone, 2) Joe Mazzulla is probably just testing some things out, and 3) Walsh started 25 games for Boston last season and did show some real flashes (from Nov. 12 through New Year's Day, he averaged 7.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1.1 steals on 60.4/44.7/85.2% shooting splits in 20 starts).
But that doesn't mean he should be a part of the Celtics' lineup right now, and his performance against the Pistons proved that.
He did an okay job of guarding Cade Cunningham one-on-one, but he mostly looked lost defensively and struggled to navigate through screens and get to his spots. And on offense, he shot 0-for-2 and didn't record a single point in 13 minutes (he did record six rebounds, a steal, and a block, though).
The 22-year-old can still be an asset to this Celtics team, but maybe he should just showcase his talents coming off the bench instead.
Celtics should start Payton Pritchard over Jordan Walsh
I still firmly believe the Celtics should be starting Payton Pritchard this season, especially over Walsh. They need as much offensive firepower and shot creation in the starting lineup, and Pritchard gives them that (you could also make the case that either Sam Hauser or Baylor Scheierman deserves the starting nod instead).
He was excellent when he started 50 games last season, and if the Celtics want him to take a major leap, they're going to need to get him more involved (he only had nine field goal attempts against the Pistons), and inserting him into the starting lineup is the easiest way to do that.
Either way, whatever ends up happening, the Celtics should look towards other options before they commit to having Walsh in the starting lineup again. He's good, and he provides value, but not nearly enough.
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