The Boston Celtics made their biggest statement the night before the NBA Draft, when they engaged the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards in a three-team trade that saw the Celtics come away with big man Kristaps Porzingas and send guard Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies.

That was the team's primary and most shocking move heading into the 2023 Draft, and while the Celtics only came away with one second-round draft choice, they were busy on the night as they collected multiple future draft picks.

The Celtics picked up a first-round draft choice from Washington in the deal that brought them Porzingas, but president of basketball operations Brad Stevens instead traded down multiple times to pick up future selections.

By the end of the night, the Celtics came away with Arkansas freshman Jordan Walsh, a 6-7 wing who averaged 7.1 points per game. Walsh appears to be a strong defender with explosive athleticism. He has some issues with shooting inconsistency from beyond the arc and the free throw line, but Stevens likes what Walsh should eventually be able to bring to the Celtics.

“He’s a good prospect,” Stevens said. “He’s young. We don’t expect him to come in and take the world on fire. He has a special ability laterally with his wingspan to, like, swallow people up defensively. He really creates havoc with his arms and with his energy and with his ability to move his feet. He’s a better shooter.”

Draft night moves

The Celtics were moments away from making a selection with the 25th pick, but they traded it to the Pistons for the No. 31 choice and two future second-round picks. The Celtics then moved the No. 31 pick to the Hornets for the 34th and 39th selections.

At that point, Boston engaged the Sacramento Kings and traded the No. 34 pick for the 39th pick and future second rounder.

They used the 38th pick on Walsh but traded the No. 39 pick for another future second-rounder.

The Walsh report

If there's one thing the Celtics can count on when it comes to Walsh, is that he will play a hounding brand of defense that is likely to tire out opponents. While playing for the Razorbacks last season, he allowed his opponents to shoot only 34 percent from the field.

The Celtics were impressed with his energy and his 7-3 wingspan. He has the ability to fly up and down the court, and he can use his long arms to steal passes and deflect the ball away from unsuspecting dribblers.

The offensive game is not Walsh's strength at this point. While he will outrun opponents and that will give him opportunities on the break, he is not the most consistent at putting the ball in the basket.

He has an excellent shooting form that looks quite smooth, but the results are not there at this point. That will likely mean that Walsh will spend time with Portland in the G League.

Walsh had to learn a new role with the Razorbacks, because he was playing on a team that included a pair of first-round draft choices in Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. Instead of being the team's star, he was a role player who had to learn how to play in the system.

If Walsh had returned to the Razorbacks, he would have had an excellent chance to raising his game and becoming a first-round pick in the 2024 Draft.

His energy level became obvious on all loose ball plays. Walsh was not hesitant to dive on to the floor to either come up with the ball or tie up opponents.

However, he is so aggressive that he often picked up too many fouls while hustling. He won't do his team any good if he is forced to the bench with consistent foul trouble.

Conclusion

It will be difficult for Walsh to earn a spot with the Celtics in the upcoming season. He needs to work on his offensive game and he is too raw at this point.

However, every coach knows that a player with an over-aggressive attitude is much easier to coach than a player who does not display enough energy.

He seems like a more likely contributor in the 2024-25 season at this point.