Coming into Sunday, the Celtics (7-7) were extremely well rested having not played a game since Wednesday night at home against the Grizzlies (4-10) - a game they won big after a disappointing loss on Tuesday night to the 76ers (7-5).

That rest put Boston in a strong position to win two in a row regardless of who was on the docket, and the fact that they had a Clippers (4-9) team on tap that had lost six straight games before beating the Mavericks (3-10) on Friday night made those chances of winning two in a row even higher.

The Celtics built a massive early cushion with those fresh legs on Sunday, yet still somehow almost blew the afternoon game at TD Garden. Despite a late push from the Clippers, Boston escaped on Sunday with a 121–118 win.

And one of the biggest reasons for that escape?

Jordan freaking Walsh.

At this point, I shouldn’t be including the “freaking” any more. This dude might just be legit-good, something I clearly did not see coming.

I continue to gladly eat crow on this guy.

Walsh earned his second consecutive start thanks to his recent defensive energy, and again he justified the decision.

Tasked with a James Harden matchup for long stretches, Walsh finished with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 33 minutes, showcasing the versatility that has endeared him to the coaching staff. And while he did ultimately surrender most of Harden’s 37 points, it was a much better performance defensively than the stat sheet would tell you. This was the perfect example of a game where you had to watch it to understand his true impact.

Whether he continues starting remains unclear, but his emergence - along with contributions from Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez - gives Boston three young wings showing real promise early in the season.

And on top of that, Walsh is starting to make a name for himself around the league.

Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) on X Asked Tyronn Lue about Jordan Walsh’s defense: “We saw it the other night on Maxey. Maxey is a tough cover, but I thought he did a great job just competing. And same thing with James [Harden]. Just denying him the basketball, picking up full-court. Making it tough on him. He did

“We saw it the other night on Maxey,” said Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue during Sunday’s postgame. “Maxey is a tough cover, but I thought he did a great job just competing - and same thing with James [Harden].

“Just denying him the basketball, picking up full-court. Making it tough on him. He did a great job. You need guys like that on your team. I thought he did an outstanding job just trying to frustrate James, wear him down, and make him tired. He did a great job.”

In addition to Lue, a future Hall of Famer threw him a few flowers in the postgame locker room.

“He played hard,” said Harden. “He’s a young guy who’s trying to find his niche in the league. That’s what it starts with. The effort and playing hard. He did that tonight.”

When you’re getting that type of love externally, it’s no surprise that the players and coaches in the same building as him are also impressed with the third-year man out of Akansas’ effort.

“He did a great job,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said on Sunday of Walsh’s effort on Harden. “There’s some room for improvement. You don’t want to give a guy free throws, and I think he put him on the line a lot in the second half. That kind of gets guys going when they see a bunch of free throws. I think we sent him to the line three straight possessions, and then that got him going.

“But I think Jordan has been doing an excellent job. I think it’s his energy level. His physicality has been good. He’s just got to keep building on it, because we need a guy like that that’s going to guard the best players night in and night out.”

“He’s earning an opportunity,” said Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. “I thought he did a great job. [Harden] is one of the best foul-drawers in the league. If you guard him for 33 minutes, you are going to foul him two or three times. It’s just Jordan’s ability to stay disciplined throughout the entire thing.

“He’s just showing a true mindset into taking that on and having the professionalism and the toughness to do that every night … He’s doing more than just guarding the other team’s best player.”

With the help of Walsh, the Celtics have weathered a dense early slate, and now a softer stretch opens the door for momentum.

Over the next 16 days, they play just six games, including a pair against the struggling Nets (2-11) Tuesday in Brooklyn and Friday in Boston as part of NBA Cup play.

With the team hovering around .500, this is a prime opportunity to stack wins and establish their first meaningful streak of the season.

Walsh’s defensive effort will be a large part of whether or not they’re able to clean up properly.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.