The NBA regular season is nearing its end, which means for the teams who qualify, the playoffs are almost here. After a 111-100 win against the Washington Wizards, the Boston Celtics have improved to 44-23. Currently, the Celtics are in second place in the Eastern Conference and are as close as a sure bet as you can be to make the postseason.
If this Celtics team has taught us anything this season, it is that you can't count them out. While Jayson Tatum was away from the team rehabbing his ruptured Achilles tendon, Jaylen Brown stepped up to lead this group and has been a big reason why the Celtics have defied expectations. Along with growth from some of the younger players on the roster, the Celtics' mentality has shown why you can't count them out.
In March, Celtics fans finally got to see the long-awaited return of Jayson Tatum. Though he's still working through some rust from how long he's been gone, he's still been effective and could elevate the team's ceiling.
More than two-thirds of the way through the season, the playoffs are on the minds of Celtics fans. One player, however, is running out of time to secure a spot in the rotation.
Jordan Walsh finds him self out of the playoff rotation
It's been an up-and-down season for Jordan Walsh. After an impressive start to the 2025-26 campaign, in which Walsh earned multiple starts, his role has been reduced as the season has progressed. Walsh has seen his minutes per game drop each month since December, with his role decreasing even more with the return of Tautm.
Since Tatum's return, Walsh has earned three DNP's, played one minute against the San Antonio Spurs, and played 13 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game that Tatum didn't play in. Other rotational wings like Baylor Scheierman and rookie Hugo Gonzalez haven't seen the same reduction in usage as Walsh, suggesting the wing is in trouble.
When comparing Walsh to Scheierman and Gonzalez, the reasons why he's fallen out of the rotation have been simple. The first reason is that his role was the most similar to Tatum's. Walsh's skill set was best used when taking on some of Tatum's defensive responsibilities, while acting as a spot-up shooter on offense. Now that Tatum is back, he takes his role back.
Outside of just Tatum returning, while improved this season, Walsh's overall offensive game isn't up to the level of Scheierman or Gonzalez. Both have more trust with the ball in their hands than Walsh, with head coach Joe Mazzulla trusting Scheierman as a playmaker from time to time. Defensively, Walsh may be better; the gap offensively is bigger.
If Walsh wants to earn a spot in the playoff rotation, he'll have to show he can be more consistent offensively. Otherwise, he might not see the court much come playoff time.