The Boston Celtics will play their first home game of the preseason on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET) when they host the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. 

We've outlined four things that we want to watch for in this game, which follows the C's 11-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, however, we're adding something new to the list: Jordan Walsh.

Walsh doesn't typically get talked about as much in relation to Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Paul George, Neemias Queta and Mitchell Robinson, but perhaps he should be.

After all, Pritchard said that Walsh should be one of the best defenders in the league, if not the best, to the media this week.

That's a high bar, but if that's the expectation, then that's something else to watch closely for.

Listed at 6-foot-6, Walsh was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft out of Arkansas, Walsh is still just 22 years old and growing into his game. In three seasons, he's seen his role amplify each year: He played only nine games as a rookie, but elevated to 52 games as a sophomore and 68 games as a third-year player.

He even earned 25 starts in 2025-26, helping the Celtics go 56-26 in the regular season and earn the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Clearly, he is more of a defender than a scorer, and Pritchard indicated that as well. Walsh averaged 5.4 ppg last season on 50.9 percent shooting. He also made 38.4 percent of his three-pointers, though he only attempted 1.8 per game. He averaged four rebounds a night, playing an average of 17.8 minutes.

His role should increase this season, and the Celtics gave him a three-year contract extension over the summer.

We just said that we expect Walsh's role to grow, and we do, but where do the minutes come from?

Is head coach Joe Mazzulla going to sit George at times in an effort to keep him healthy, and Walsh fills the gaps? Is Sam Hauser, an offensive-minded player, going to play less? Will Jayson Tatum see more rest periods? Are the Celtics okay sacrificing offense to play him more? Or, has he made offensive gains that we will see throughout the course of the year and Pritchard was just being coy?

He did score 16 points in 26 minutes on Thursday.

It all remains to be seen, but we're adding it to the list of things to watch as 2026-27 unfolds.