Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Yes, those are the 2024-25 combined per-game stats for Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet - 73 points, 31 boards and 16 assists. Last season's roster is not simply depleted - it was ravaged. But Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla , the Celtics staff and the players themselves have done a masterful job of competing at a high level , and now reside in third place in the East. Payton Pritchard may still be somewhat of a liability on defense due to his lack of height, but you would have to search a bit to find a player that uses his available tools to better advantage. Derrick White's shot may be somewhat off target this season, but he is one of the main reasons Boston is sitting where they are in the standings. And Jaylen Brown's current version of "Celtics Alpha" is working out just fine. He remains a bit of a turnover machine, but he leads this team by example and is having a career season at the right time . The only positive...

  Jordan Walsh's first two seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics did not bode well for his career in the Big League. Over 61 games in the 2-year span, he averaged only 8.5 minutes per game and his accuracy from deep - mid-=range and free throw line did not bring back memories of Larry Bird . But the kid, now 21 years old, has found his way. This season he is hitting on 56% from deep - 39% on his treys - and 80% from the charity stripe. And he just keeps making hustle plays, on both offense and defense. Listed at 6'6"/6'7" and 205 pounds , his 7'3" wingspan becomes very apparent on his offensive rebounds, putbacks, blocked shots and deflections.  But beyond his God/Nature-given tools , Walsh's intensity, desire and fire are unequaled. His defense kept him in games for his first two seasons, but now he has become a legitimate 2-way player . Jordan Walsh 22 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 8/8 FG, 1/1 3FG, 103.4% TS vs Wizards https://t.co/6F...

 It was obvious from the start that the Boston Celtics were not going to lose 3-straight games . The 142-105 victory over Indiana was decisive. Jaylen Brown was the undisputed star of the show - producing a team-high 44 points , along with five boards, three assists, four steals and a team-high plus/minus of +30. Payton Pritchard came off the bench, but played 32 minutes while flirting with a triple double (18 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) . Pritchard has gone from a little-used sub to a vital part as potential Sixth-Man-of-the-Year. How does he sneak in for those offensive boards? Speaking of "little-used", fans had a lengthy sighting of Jordan Walsh (21 minutes) . The 6'6" G/F came away with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and one block. Joe Mazzulla put Walsh early in the game and Jordan showed a little bit of why Boston signed him to a 4-year deal.   The Celtics take on the Pacers onc4e again at, TD Garden on Sunday.

 Celtics sophomore, Jordan Walsh , is off to a bad start in Summer League competition. His averages in the two games thus far are as follows: 25.5 MPG - 6.5 PPG - 5.5 RPG - 1.5 APG - 2.0 SPG - 1.0 BPG - 25% FG - 0% (0-of-11) on 3s But at least in Game #2, a win for Boston versus the Lakers, Walsh fared somewhat better than in the Game-1 loss to the Heat. So he may be settling in and not forcing his offense. His Game-2 points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage and plus/minus all improved over Game-1.  Tonight's contest against Charlotte will have some importance for Jordan. Despite his 4-year contract with the Celtics (year #4 is a team option) , he will have competition as backup wing for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser. And he knows it. But that is what Summer League is all about . Walsh seemingly is desperately trying to participate in more Celtics games this season. He appeared in only nine Celtics games in his rookie season, spending most of his...

 With the Boston Celtics season roughly 70%-complete , Joe Mazzulla's team posts the best record in the League (45-12) . Next-best in the East are the Cavs with a 37-19 record . Best-of-the-West are the Timberwolves at 40-17. Be assured Mazzulla wont be resting on that record, but it does give him some leeway to test a few of his backups down the stretch . Among that crew are Xavier Tillman, Jaden Springer, Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta.  Tillman and Queta (should the latter nail a full-time roster spot) could be important if injuries plague the current center position. Springer and Walsh could bring additional defense in the post-season, but their viability needs to be tested under fire in the regular season. The top-6 in Boston's rotation can no longer be considered upstarts or novices in the playoffs. But the loss last season to the Heat in the Eastern Finals really hurt, and I can't envision anything resembling that happening again. Look for Joe to do some experiment...

 The "Cinderella" Pacers move on to the In-Season Tournament Semis, while the favored Celtics are out. The 122-112 loss by Boston was disappointing, but the real losers are the lower-salaried players for The Green. That octet includes Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, Oshae Brissett, Svi Mikhailuk, Lamar Stevens, Dalano Banton, Sam Hauser and Jordan Walsh . That group earns from a high of $4.0 million (Pritchard) to $1.1 million (Walsh). Every member of the Celtics will receive $50,000.00 for making the quarter-finals , but the prize for the Finals Champ is half-a-million dollars ($500,000.00) . That half-a-million is cheap change for the higher-paid members of the team - not so for the others. Both Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet did their best in the loss to keep their team in the running. Luke may have had his best game as a Celtic with six points, four boards, two assists, one steal and four blocks. Sam was on fire - with 15 points on 5-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 on tre...

 Remember the pre-draft analysis on Jordan Walsh . "Tough defender" - "Limited offensive game" . Well, in the Celtics loss to Miami in Summer League competion, Walsh scored a team-high 18 points on 6-of-11 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point land and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. J D Davison logged team-high minutes (31:44), followed by Walsh with 30:54. It was clearly an attempt by Assistant Coach Tony Dobbins to view Davison as a facilitator, and his 11 assists stood out in the loss. The offensive output by Walsh was a surprise to many, including me. Justin Bean (13 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block) and Jay Scrubb (17 points, 6-of-11 FG) added some hope for the Boston Celtics cloudy future. But the 99-88 loss to the Celtics recent Eastern Conference Finals foes - despite being only Summer League - hurt nonetheless. Stay tuned!

 My followers remember this well. My simple plea to the Celtics Carsen Edwards for a card to be sent to my grieving great grandson, Carson Thomas Lane . - who had recently lost his 25-year-old mother to Cystic Fibrosis.  The response was staggering . Carsen Edwards, Marcus Smart and the entire Celtics organization stepped up.  It all made a huge difference. Carson turns 11 years old today , and I love this kid. His teachers label him as a "leader" and "kind" to others. He tells me, "I love my life!" (Excuse me as I wipe away a few tears). I am humbly making another plea for a 19-year-old youngster - Damien Merchant . Like Carson, his mom died when he was very young , and his father all-but abandonned him soon thereafter. Ironically, and tragically, he suffered a horrific, life-threatening accident on Father's Day, June 18, 2023 . Damien is now in his ninth day of hospitalization at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon , New Hampshire and...

 Picked early in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft, Jordan Walsh is bigger (6'7", 205 lbs.) than former-Celtic, Tony Allen (6'4", 213 lbs.), but their games appear to be similar. Expect the newly-acquired Arkansas product to be compared somewhat with "The Grindfather" . Danny Ainge openly admitted regretting letting Tony get away in free agency - and for good reason. Allen never averaged more than 11.5 points per game in his career, but he was a lock-down defensive ace. He was a 6-time All-Defensive player. And despite his height, he often shifted from the SG slot to small forward. Walsh averaged a mere 7.1 points per game in college, but his defense was stifling. That should translate well to the Big League, and I think the rookie will see at least small minutes during the regular season in 2023-24. Both T ony and Jordan possess that fierce focus on covering their man , and both have more-than ample wingspans . We look forward to seeing Tony Allen...

 The Celtics Marcus Smart has only been gone (to Memphis) a day or so, but Brad Stevens didn't waste any time trying to replace part of what The Wolverine brought to the court. With the 38th pick in the draft, Boston chose Jordan Walsh. The 6'7", 205-lb. Arkansas product is a defensive whiz with the size and physique to guard multiple positions ( per The Athletic's Kyle Tucker ): “ You want a high-ceiling, switchable wing defender in an NBA-ready body? Meet Jordan Walsh, the 6-foot-7, 215-pound former McDonald’s All-American with a 7-2 wingspan, 8-11 standing reach and an aggressive disposition who was selected No. 38 overall by the Celtics. He’s raw (at best) offensively and his stats don’t sing — 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, less than an assist per game and 28 percent 3-point shooting as a freshman at Arkansas — but he absolutely impacts winning. The Razorbacks scored nine more points per 100 possessions with him on the court than when he was off, which led the team. ...