Inside The Celtics

After Returning to His Roots, Sam Hauser Discusses Jordan Walsh's Development

Like Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh's journey to the NBA includes honing his craft in the G League.

Bobby Krivitsky

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Last Thursday, a day before the Boston Celtics' 133-123 win over the New York Knicks, improving to 16-5, including 10-0 at TD Garden, Sam Hauser made the pilgrimage to Portland, Maine.

The sharpshooting forward honed his craft in the G League in 2021-22. His development there signaled to the parent club that he was ready for a closer look.

"That's where it all started," he said of his trip to the Pine Tree State after Monday's practice. "Support the people that helped me get here. There's a lot of good people up there, and it's always fun to be back and support those guys, and you never know, maybe we'll see a face or two from that team right now up here in a couple (of) years. So, it's always good to go back and appreciate where you came from."

Hauser's now a rotation fixture in Boston, evolving into a legitimate two-way player, impacting the game at both ends of the court. He's averaging 9.6 points, drilling 43.5 percent of his 6.2 threes per contest, and grabbing 3.6 rebounds. His defensive rating of 107 ranks fourth among Celtics who log at least eight minutes per game, per NBA.com.

His return to Maine also allowed him to see Jordan Walsh generate 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists in a 135-109 win over the Delaware Blue Coats.

"Jordan's coming along well," Hauser voiced of the 19-year-old rookie. "He's young. He's learning, but he's been playing really well, and you can tell he's got a lot of potential. He's got a lot of talent. I know he's working really hard, and every time (that) he's come back here, it looks like he's gotten better, so props to him."

Walsh is developing into a more aggressive offensive player in the G League, something that will help him as a facilitator during his NBA career.

The former Arkansas Razorback also is demonstrating that he understands the importance of working on the role he'll play for the Celtics, locking in on being a two-way wing who knocks down threes off the catch and is a Swiss army knife defensively.

But there's more to his game, including the ability to snag the rebound on defense, push the pace, and make a play in transition.

Having rotation players on team-friendly contracts matters more than ever due to the punitive nature of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. As Hauser did during his time in Maine, Walsh is trending toward checking that box for the Celtics.

Further Reading

Mike Gorman Delivers Bold Take About Celtics' Joe Mazzulla

White and Porzingis Shine as Celtics Pass Physical Challenge from Knicks

Jayson Tatum Discusses Kobe Bryant's Motivating Message, His All-Time Top 7, and Dream Finals Opponent

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Why He Chose Celtics, First Impressions in Boston: 'Perfect Scenario'

Tyrese Haliburton, Another Sloppy 3rd Qtr., Propel Pacers Past Celtics in In-Season Tournament

Joe Mazzulla Praises Payton Pritchard's Fourth-Quarter Performance in C's Win vs. 76ers

An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'

Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis Discuss Their Quickly Cultivated Chemistry: 'An Automatic Connection'

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present

Published
Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

Home/News