Jordan Walsh BOUNCES BACK for Boston Celtics | Baylor Scheierman STRUGGLING

Jordan Walsh BOUNCES BACK for Boston Celtics | Baylor Scheierman STRUGGLING

Jordan Walsh’s best game of the summer. Where was Charles Bassie? And will Baylor Shyman ever make a shot? It’s all right. Now on the Lockown Celtics podcast. Uh-huh. Y ready. It’s the season. Who else could it be? What they going to say now? Screaming like JT Cares. We kept the madness every game, every practice. Prime time. Deon D White on the sideline. Ring J. How we started, raise a business, how we finish, locked on Celtics Pod, home of the winners, baby. Hey there. Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It’s your team every day. Your team is the Boston Celtics, and I talk about them every Monday through Friday for the rest of this month, then August, three days a week, middle of September, back to 5 days a week. So, make sure you’re subscribed wherever you get your podcast. The show is free, available everywhere. It’s on YouTube. Get into the comment section. Share your thoughts with your fellow Celtics fans and me. I’m John Carales, beat writer covering the Celtics for Boston Sports Journal. And I’ve written a couple of books. I’ve been doing this job for about 20 years or so. So, I’ve been around the team for a while. Uh, so hopefully hopefully I get a good sense of what’s going on. Today’s show is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app. Use the code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase of tickets, last minute tickets to whatever sporting event, theater show, whatever. So, uh, Celtics at Summer League, me pop that on. Yep, there we go. Celtics at summer league beat the Lakers. Uh, for those of you who are interested in always beating the Lakers and everything, congratulations. Big win over the LA Lakers and LeBron James Jr., Uh that was a big game over LeBron James Jr. who yeah he didn’t play that bad think I think actually Bronnie’s been okay this summer. I mean he had a decent line. So I’m not going to go crazy over it like other people are but it’s like hey you know what it’s it’s not terrible. Maybe he has a future. Maybe he has a future. Who cares, right? Who cares about that right now? We’re talking about the Celtics. Later on we’ll get to man Kenny Loftton Jr. winning me over. winning me over. Uh we’ll get into Charles Bassy and why he’s not there or with the team anymore. We got to start with Jordan Walsh as I’ve been doing all week long. And I got to say this is clearly easily Jordan Walsh’s best game uh of the summer. 17 points, six rebounds, three offensive. Uh an assist, a couple of steals, no turnovers, just two fouls. Uh six of 11 shooting, two of four from three. Uh only knock on him is three of six from the line. But overall his clearly like I said his best game and I think I’m calling it a bounceback game after the ejection. We can People said I overreacted and you know the network clipped my reaction. You put it out there on a a one minute clip and it it tends to carry a lot more uh weight. There’s a little less context to it. I didn’t like the ejection. I thought I thought it just showed a lack of first of all lack of awareness because he said he forgot about the first tech. You can’t do that. You just got the damn thing. So, it I didn’t like where his head was at there despite Joe Mazula being like, I like this side of you. Like, okay, that’s nice to show some fire. And you know, maybe out of cont like in context of the what the Celtics have seen from him, they want more fire from him and they’ll take this and whatever, but I think it was a bounce back because he said it was a dumb decision. Uh they you was mentioned many times on the broadcast uh that Brad Stevens on the sideline kind of like telling him to calm down after that. So, this was I think Jordan’s most under control game. I think he just not too overly animated except at the end he had the big windmill dunk on a breakaway and he had a three-pointer in the corner where he turned to his teammates on the bench and said something. Uh, so obviously there is some fire there which is good. We like fire. Uh, but I thought he was under control. I thought he was present in the game. Meaning like I could see him trying to direct his teammates like you know this the ball goes here, the ball goes there. Like that little th those little things makes me like okay yeah that he’s aware. He’s aware of what the play is, what the goal is. He’s not forgetting things. He’s not forgetting where he is. He’s not bumping into people. He’s he I think I think he started out the summer. I I just I just don’t think his head was exactly where it needed to be and I think this maybe the ejection was the impetus for him to kind of just get back on track. Uh so I liked this Jordan. Um I liked him more than the guy that I’ve been criticizing. Yeah. I I just I feel like there are just these little nuances to how he played in this game. just the speed, the, you know, just a little bit more craftiness. There was one drive versus multiple drives where he just full head of steam, straight line drive, just running into guys and and getting into trouble. That that straight line drive without a plan is what gets super athletes in trouble. It it kind of reminds me of my criticisms of Jaylen Brown from way back in his first, second, third years where it was just like he’s going to just go and go fast and go in a line and jump and figure it out. And defenders at this level, even at the summer league level, I if you’re just going in a straight line and jumping and trying to figure it out, you’re gonna you’re gonna get blocked. You’re gonna turn the ball over. And I saw a bunch of that in Jordan’s games prior to this. I saw it once that I can remember in this game. So progress, it’s and it’s all mental progress. He has the tools to do well in the league. Tom and I talked about it yesterday. The the measurements, the you know, the athleticism, all of that stuff. He has the framework of a legitimate NBA player. Now, he is still young. He is still too thin and he does have things to work on, no doubt. But this Jordan Walsh that I saw in this game is is like 20 to 25% better in the ways that I’ve been looking for him to be better. smarter, more patient, just more present, all of that stuff. And it might sound like people are going to like I know it’s going to end up in the comments like, “What the hell are you talking about?” But it’s these little mental things, these little mental hurdles, these little just like I said, nuance that is the difference between uh a young guy that’s a super athlete that’s just using his athleticism to be better versus a guy that’s been in the NBA for a bit, a little bit, a couple years going into his third year and knows a couple couple of tricks, understands what makes the guys that are getting the minutes ahead of him. What makes them so good, right? Like I think Jordan Walsh can jump as high as a lot of guys and run as fast as a lot of guys. The measurable athleticism elements are there for him, but what makes the other guys so much better at basketball? And it’s learning those things and applying those things that are going to make Jordan uh a a contributor, a rotation guy. So, you can call me nuts if you want and and again, maybe I’m wrong, but the things I saw from him against the Lakers just stood out to me as more I I’ll just use the word professional than what I’ve seen before. What I saw before was a little bit more just summer league kid just going out there and and just I don’t know running fast and trying to make buckets. This was I saw I saw an NBA level player in Jordan Walsh in the those in the margins in the little things on in this particular game. So, just full like for the people who have been on me for criticizing Jordan as Jordan as much as I have, this is like I’m just giving you my honest opinion. And in a game like this where he plays I think his absolute best game of the summer, I’m not afraid to say this this was it. This was good. And so I I hope that this is what continues. The Celtics do have one more game somewhere. At least one more. I don’t know what the playoffs playoffs, which is the most ridiculous thing. Summer league playoffs. Just come on. Enough. Like we’re just trying to develop these guys. I don’t need to see these guys in a playoff game. I don’t I don’t know. Anyway, that’s my old man yells at Cloud. Uh good for Jordan. Uh Ugo Gonzalez. He played he played pretty well, I think. I think the book on him has been written. We the summer book the chapter of 2025 summer league Ugo Gonzalez I think is written done. We’ll talk about that when I come back. Today’s show is brought to you by Game Time. You know, you want to get to these live events. Maybe it’s uh concerts, summer concerts that that are out there. Uh maybe it’s uh a baseball game. Maybe it’s a theater show, something that’s coming to town. You’re like, “Oh, wow. That’d be great.” Uh, you can get to these tickets easier, faster than ever. Uh, prices drop actually closer. You get to game time or showtime and you can save up to 60% off with killer lastminute deals at game time. 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Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. Thank you for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. uh make your second listen locked on NBA and locked on NBA game night. Now, I’ve already done the locked on NBA game night show with Jake Madison. We actually talked a little bit about Damen Lillard going back to Portland. I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled for him. So happy that he went back to Portland and you’ll hear that when we get into the locked NBA game night. We also talked summer league. We talked about Detroit Pistons and can they make a a a push up to the top four. So all that on locked down NBA game night. Check that out. Uh, next after you’re done with this podcast, let’s get into the next set of players. Ugo Gonzalez, I thought played generally pretty well. Uh, 13 points, uh, two of four from three, three of four from the line, five rebounds, two assists, a block. So, a a nice overall kind of night. I think the book on him like it’s set. We know what Summer Ugo is going to be like. He’s he’s a tryhard guy. He He loves that euro step. He um is crafty around the rim. He can see the floor really well. He makes he reads the game really well. So my my opinion right now of Gonzalez is anybody that tries hard and sees the game well is going to be okay. So I don’t care so much about the numbers. I just see Brad talked about his cutting. I see a cutter for sure. I see a passer for sure. I see a hard worker for sure. Right. And he’s he’s been asked like I’ve seen two sideline interviews with him. And he’s asked specific questions about himself like, “Hey, how you doing? How do you feel? How do you feel about your journey here so far?” and he’s like, “Well, we’re giving up a lot of offensive rebounds and we got to rebound better and we got to shoot better and but you know, blah blah blah.” Talking about the game. He’s not talking about himself. He’s not playing along. It’s all about the game. So, intensity is there, desire is there, hard work and skill is there. Now comes the process of feeling the NBA game. Understanding how fast are these defenders, how fast, how big are these defenders? The things I used to be able to do in Spain, can I do them here? And some of it will translate and some of it will be like, oh, okay, that layup just got sent into the first, you know, first row. That’s part of the learning process. So, I like where Gonzalez is, especially as a 19-year-old. I think his head’s in the right place. I think he sees things incredibly well. The the pass, the play where Kenny Loftton hits Gonzalez. Gonzalez on the right wing and on the left wing, cuts, gets the ball, draws the defender, dumps it off, I think to Miles Norris for a dunk. Beautiful, beautiful play. That’s recognition of when to cut. Recognition of the defense, the help, and seeing a teammate and getting it to a teammate. That That’s the play. That’s the play that I’m talking about right there. like that. You see multiple things, make multiple reads, make all the right decisions, and it ends up in a dunk for your team. Beautiful. So, the translatable stuff, I think it’s there. Go to the G-League. I don’t think he’s NBA ready yet. I don’t know when he will be. Will it be this upcoming season? Doubtful. But at some point, I think this my my optimism for the Gonzalez pick to be a hit for Brad Stevens is high. Now, what does that hit constitute? Is he going to be a ninth man or a sixth man or a starter? It’s th one of those three stages. Can he work his way into ninth man, then sixth man, then starter? Maybe. Uh, I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I I trust him enough just from these four games that he I think it’s four games that he’s going to put in the work and he’s going to process things well. From there, it’s just a matter of where his skill can take him and where that hard work can take him. So, but I like I like what I see. Um, Charles Bassie not with the team. Uh, apparently the the contract with the Celtics, it was only going to be for three games and he had other engagements, other obligations after that. So, it was a three-game thing. So, no Charles Bassie in this game, no Charles Bassie in the next game. Now, that doesn’t mean that he’s not going to be with the Celtics uh in camp. Uh, we don’t know. I don’t know what what this was. Honestly, I look at I look at Bassie and I think sure, just like we talked about in in yesterday’s podcast, I think, sure, yeah, let’s get him in there. Let’s see what he can do. Let’s see what he can do against NBA players. Let’s let’s see how he fits. Uh but I I don’t know if the Celtics are are in that, you know, are going to do that. I don’t I I don’t know what Bassie’s mentality is. I don’t know where he’s where he’s going. If he’s signing with somebody else or I have no idea on that, but I’d like to see the Celtics give him a shot because obviously their front court situation is hot garbage and I don’t think Amari Williams is ready. But again, now Amari, same thing. Passer, that’s what he came in build as. And for sure if you’re cutting, Amari’s going to find you. He will make that pass. Any cutter from like if he’s at the high post and you back door cut that ball is going to end up in your hands that I believe with Amari Williams. Now the rest of the stuff of 10 in this game. Uh I’m going to say 0 of one from three, but that was a that was a fake three-pointer. That that uh buzzer buzzer beating like last second. That that shouldn’t count. So, I’m going to say three of nine overall. He did have six rebounds, four offensive rebounds. A bunch of those were his own misses. So, I’m not going to get too uh I’m not going to say, “Oh, what a rebounding game for him.” Uh a steal. I thought I thought he had at least one assist in this game. I I’m surprised that it wasn’t uh registered. I don’t know. I thought I thought I saw at least one, but he’s not ready. I haven’t seen anything that tells me he’s going to be in competition with Luca Garza and Mishkada and the whatever group the Celtics have at center but again that passing great skill the vision great skill feel for the game super important so let’s see how that develops in the G-League is that going to be a hit can they hit on the Amari Williams pick late in the second round now three picks one at the end of the first round, two in the second round. You need one of them, you need one of them to hit. And so I think Gonzalez is going to be that guy. Could Amari Williams be a second guy? I think he can. Uh but I think he’s going to be like full full year G-League uh this upcoming season. So I’m I’m not looking forward to much from him, but Bassie, I I’d love to see him come into camp. So I don’t know. I don’t know what’s next. I don’t know what his next step is. This has just been a summer of surprises for Bassie cuz it’s like, oh, he’s on the roster. Great. This is a surprise. And then all of a sudden today, it’s like, oh, he’s no longer on the roster. Oh, okay. That’s also a surprise. So, kind of fleeting with him, but we’ll see how it goes. Uh, Baylor Shyman, Kenny Loftton, uh, the the next two players. Baylor, the the shot. Oh, boy. Baylor, I’m not going to go crazy here, but can you hit can you get some three Can we get one game one where you hit a bunch of three-pointers? Can we see that? Let’s talk about that next. Today’s show is brought to you by Open Phone. Running a business is tough. You know how it goes. If you need something a service and you call and that person doesn’t answer, you’re not waiting around for that person to call you back. You’re you need that service done. Next person. So, is it a plumber, a roofer, uh a cleaner, whatever it is. 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Thanks for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Go check out any one of our Locked On podcast from the other sports. So, are you a Patriots fan? Are you another fan of another football team? Locked on whatever your favorite team is. Uh, same thing in hockey, same thing in baseball. Or maybe you want to check out you kind of surprised about the Damen Lillard thing. You don’t know what the fit is uh in in Portland. Uh the Celtics did, by the way, make an offer to Lillard, but it wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t home. And I think he just went home. So, check out lockdown Blazers. They’ll have that all covered over there. So, that’s going to be a fun one. Check that out. Uh let’s get back to the Celtics summer league game. They’re next to last, unless there’s some crazy playoff thing. summer league game. Baylor Shyman, two of 14 from the field, two of 11 from three. He is now Oh, I did the math. Eight of 30. Hold on, I have it right here. Uh, eight of Come on. 39. Eight of 39. 20 and a half percent from three over these four games. Um, not good. And that’s his primary job. Okay, fine. Listen, I’ve said before I’m not getting worried about makes and misses. Uh, I’d like to see some makes. I’d like to see a game I’d like to see this next game where it’s like four of seven, you know, six of 10, something good just to put my mind at ease. But if it’s not, it’s not. We’ve seen good shooters have bad, you know, streaks in summer league. It’s fine. He’s done other things. I’m not too worried about it, but it’s a tough time to have a slump. But you know, Sam Hower, we talked about it yesterday. Sam Hower had a big slump. Like if you go by Sam Hower’s summer league, I’d be like, “Oh god, this no way.” I told was I said go for Matt Ryan over Sam Sam Hower. And clearly that was a mistake. So there it’s it’s possible that Charman just in a slump. Uh again, he shot 40% in the G-League last year, but he does other things. The six assists are nice. Like I do I do think that he’s he’s an NBA level player. So I do think that he has a chance to be part of the rotation. So I’m just not going to get worked up about it. But man, eight of 39 for a shooter. Come on, Baylor. All right. And finally, Kenny Loftton, who I was ready to cut at halftime of the first game. I was done done with him. And then here he is. This is his best game of the summer without a doubt. 12 points, five assists, seven rebounds, three steals, a block. Did have five turnovers, but this this was his easily his best game. There’s one play early on where he drove right in the first quarter and like he had just subbed in and it was the play, it was the same type of play where in the first and second games especially, he was just put your head down. He’s just like put the head down and drive and just force it up and try to draw a foul or try whatever. And he kind of started to do it and then he backed off. And I just feel like it was a I think I mentioned this after the last game. Somebody got to him. Somebody said something to him and they they it was abundantly clear that the message was cut it out. Whatever you were doing in game one looking for your own thing and just basically teammates. You didn’t have teammates in that in that game. It was you going one with a with four other guys in green shirts that you didn’t care about. in this game when he made that drive and put his started to put his head down. Then he stopped right like not quite halfway down the lane but stopped whipped it to the left side the like right at the break. I forget who hit the shot but it was a a three-pointer. It might have been Schulga. That was that was a really nice play. I was like, “Oh, that that play to me told me someone got into Kenny Loftton’s ear, coach.” Somebody was like, “Cut it out. He He played great. He played great in this game.” And all of a sudden, I’m like, “May maybe they invite him to camp instead.” I don’t think so. I think that he but he’s he’s shown himself to at least be a listener and I think he figured it out and that’s you know a nice turnaround for him. Uh so shout out to Kenny Loftton Jr. again it’s a guy that I was like done with like he was horrible so bad and then turned it around. So nice nice job from him. There’s one more summer league game. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m like I think I’ve seen everything I need to see. I don’t think any anything can happen in this next game that’s going to make me think like, oh, this this changes everything, but we’ll see. You know, I say that and we’ve been surprised before. So, uh, the next podcast, this is a Friday podcast, so next podcast is Monday. And so, make sure you’re subscribed. We’re still 5 days a week next week and the week after and then it’s 5 days then it’s 3 days a week in August. So make sure you’re subscribed. The show is free. It’s available everywhere every day. You know I love you. You know that I’m thrilled to have you along with me every day of the week. So uh or Monday through Friday. So thank you so so much. I would love to have you around for a whole lot more. So uh get into the comments section, share your thoughts and then share the podcast. Tell everybody they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast. Here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, it’s your team every day.

Celtics’ Summer League Standouts: Walsh, Gonzalez Shine.

John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal breaks down the Boston Celtics’ impressive NBA Summer League performance, focusing on Jordan Walsh’s controlled play and Hugo Gonzalez’s promising potential. The analysis covers Charles Bassey’s unexpected absence, Baylor Scheierman’s shooting woes, and Kenny Lofton Jr.’s surprising turnaround. Karalis explores how these young talents might impact the Celtics’ roster decisions and future success.

1:30 Jordan Walsh’s best summer game
5:09 Walsh shows mental progress and NBA potential
11:49 Hugo Gonzalez impresses with basketball IQ
16:29 Charles Bassey’s situation and Amari Williams
22:39 Baylor Scheierman’s shooting struggles continue
24:43 Kenny Lofton Jr. turns it around

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Locked On Celtics is a daily Boston Celtics podcast by Boston Sports Journal beat writer John Karalis. It’s an inside look at the C’s from a former professional basketball player who is at practices & games.

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