Celtics trade down in draft several times and draft Jordan Walsh at #38 in 2023 NBA Draft

For trading down a handful of times the Celtics will acquire by my count four future 2nd rounders in addition to Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh who they appear to be keeping. The Celtics originally selected Marcus Sasser at #25, but Brad Stevens is in his trading Marcuses phase, so traded that pick for #31 and two future 2nd rounders. Then he traded back again and then again.

Eventually he had picks #38 and #39 and kept #38 and traded #39 for a future 2nd.

Jordan Walsh is a 19 year old 6'6" forward with a 7'2" wingspan out of Arkansas University. According to NCAA basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, Walsh is an extremely athletic, long, defensive forward who can't shoot.

KOC likes the pick though.

And here is O'Connor's draft profile on Walsh:

PLUSES

Explosive athlete with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, a relentless approach, and good instincts. He comes up with 50-50 balls by diving on the floor. He takes charges. He flies around and makes second and third efforts on single possessions. He’s everywhere.

Versatile defender with the size, strength, and length to defend across perimeter positions. He possesses excellent fundamentals fighting through screens for a player his age, though his best value will come in a switching scheme. He doesn’t back down from a battle against a big, either.

Menace in transition. He sprints the floor hard and always makes himself available for lobs. His handle is strong enough that he can steal the ball or rip down defensive boards and then bring it up himself.

He’s enough of a shooter to warrant attention from the defense, and if they close out against him he’s comfortable dribbling into a jumper or straight-line driving to the rim.

When he attacks off the bounce, he gets low and displays good instincts for delivering lobs and kickout passes. He has feel for making the right play.

MINUSES

His make-or-break skill is his shooting. He has good form, but has a below-average percentage from the line and from behind the arc going back to high school. Unless he starts hitting shots with greater regularity he’ll cap out as a solid contributor but not much more.

Gets out of control at times on drives to the basket, leading to avoidable turnovers, and on defense sometimes he’ll get too antsy, leading to silly fouls.

So the trade more or less ends up being Marcus Smart and pick #35 for Kristaps Porzingis, pick #38, Golden State's 2024 1st rounder and four future 2nd rounders.
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