Jordan Walsh reveals message he received from Jayson Tatum during NBA Summer League

As a second-round pick of the Boston Celtics in this year’s NBA Draft, former Arkansas star Jordan Walsh has a chance to play his way onto the roster during the NBA Summer League. He made his debut Saturday against the Miami Heat, and one of his highest-profile teammates was in attendance.

Jayson Tatum was on the sidelines for the game at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas and was talking with some of the Celtics players during the game. Walsh was part of that group, and he told NBA TV’s Chris Haynes the message Tatum had for the young stars.

“The message is just play hard, represent the Celtics,” Walsh said. “He’s been to the playoffs countless times. He’s a great player. We all want to be where he is. For him to give me any type of insight, I take that with great pride.”

The Sacramento Kings selected Walsh with the No. 38 overall pick, but traded him to Boston right away. He put together a strong freshman season for Arkansas in 2022-23, averaging 7.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 36 appearances, including 22 starts. However, he had a rough year shooting, making just 27.8% of his shots in a Razorbacks uniform.

But with Summer League underway, Walsh knows he has to prove himself if he wants to make the team. That’s why he’s focusing on settling into a role on the court and making improvements so he can get to the NBA. If he can do that, he can start toward his goal of playing alongside Tatum.

Through one Summer League game, Walsh looked the part. He had 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting — including 4-for-6 from three-point territory — as Boston beat Miami 99-88.

“For me, now, at this point, it’s about playing my role to the best ability that I can,” Walsh said. “I know that my goal is to be somewhere to be able to play with the guys that are on the sideline like Jayson Tatum. I know to be able to play with guys like that, I’ve got to be able to make open shots, I’ve got to do the dirty work. That’s what I’m preparing myself for.”

The Celtics were the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference last year after finishing with a 57-25 record. Their season came to an end in the conference finals — appropriately, against the Heat. It became an exciting series after Miami went up 3-0, but the Heat came out on top 4-3 to advance to the NBA Finals, where they’d eventually lose to the Denver Nuggets.