Mazzulla Praises Walsh Despite Summer League Ejection
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla delivered a surprising message to forward Jordan Walsh following his ejection from a Summer League game against the Miami Heat. Despite the ejection, which resulted from two technical fouls within 10 seconds, Mazzulla expressed his approval of Walsh’s aggressive play.
The incident occurred in the second quarter. After a dust-up with Heat forward Eric Stevenson following a layup, and a subsequent foul on guard Pelle Larson, Walsh received two technical fouls leading to his ejection. The ejection took place directly in front of Celtics general manager Brad Stevens, new owner Bill Chisholm, and other members of the front office.
Walsh, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, immediately apologized to Stevens. He stated, “I apologize to him, just because that’s not really me. I’m more of a professional than that, more mature than that—so I just wanted to make sure that he knew that this wasn’t gonna be a continuous thing.”
Despite the apology, Walsh explained his aggressive play, stating, “I feel like I’m trying to get into people’s skin…I want to disrupt everybody. I want to take out your rhythm. I want to take you out of your plays, your sets. I want to speed you up.” He also mentioned that he felt he’d been pushed around earlier in the Summer League and retaliated as a result.
Interestingly, Mazzulla, who was watching from the stands with his family, texted Walsh immediately after the ejection, expressing his approval of the intensity. Walsh recounted, “As soon as I got ejected, I got to the locker room, I checked my phone, He was texting me, ‘I loved this out of you.’ So take that for what it is, but Joe was hype.”
Walsh’s ejection came despite a strong performance prior to the incident. He had scored 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting in just 10 minutes of play. While acknowledging his regret over the ejection, Walsh maintained his belief in the importance of playing with intensity and disrupting opponents’ rhythm. He clarified his intent wasn’t to be continually aggressive but to stand up for himself after feeling targeted earlier in the Summer League. The incident highlights the fine line between aggressive play and unsportsmanlike conduct, and the differing perspectives of a coach and a player on the same action.
