'I Wanted to Come Play' Jordan Walsh's Day Back in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine. - Last Sunday, the Maine Celtics got a late addition to the roster for their game against Greensboro.

On Sunday morning, Boston assigned two eligible players to Maine for the game, Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh. Scheierman, a 2024 first-round draft pick has frequently been assigned to Maine this season and has played seven games in the G League. Sunday's game was the first Walsh has played in Maine this season as the second-year player has earned regular minutes in Boston's rotation in 2024.

As it turns out, Walsh asked to suit up for Maine on Sunday.

"I actually asked if I could come down and play in this game during a practice," Walsh explained. "Brad (Stevens) calls me and goes, "Do you want to go down?" and I said yeah... It just made sense. We had a couple off days, and more than anything I wanted to come play, be active, come back to the city, get some food real quick and it just made sense for me."

"I love it," said Maine Head Coach Tyler Lashbrook. "That was exciting to hear that he wants to be a part of this and he wants to play at the end of the day. He's a basketball player, these dudes want to play."

Walsh spent the bulk of 2023 in Portland, averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in 43 games across last year's Tip-Off Tournament and regular season. On Sunday, Walsh hit the road at 9 a.m. to make the drive from Boston to Portland for a 1 p.m. tip-off.

"I would have been sitting in my crib doing nothing so this was a way better alternative," he said.

Walsh scored 20 points on 8-11 shooting in 29 minutes as Maine lost in a heartbreaker to the Swarm 109-108 in OT.

"I thought he was phenomenal today," Lashbrook said after the game. "His confidence, his screening, his defense. I felt really comfortable with him out there. I've seen him take steps over the summer and its translated to playing time in Boston and you see it today, he was really good."

The second-year player has earned a spot in the rotation with Boston this season and has appeared in 17 games for the Celtics so far. Maine still holds a special place in Walsh's heart, and the crowd was more than happy to see a fan favorite return to the Expo.

"Super cool. I felt like Marcus Smart in Boston last year. It was pretty cool. Blew up on the first bucket which was pretty cool which shows Maine got a lot of love for me and I got a love for Maine."