Is Baylor Scheierman a viable starter for the Celtics?

I need to start with a confession: at the beginning of this season, I wasn’t a Baylor Scheierman believer.

Not because he wasn’t good, but more that he was hard for me to place. He wasn’t jumping off the screen in any obvious way, and he didn’t dominate one skill the way some of the other young Celtics wings do. On a roster full of players with already-sharpening identities, Scheierman felt like he didn’t have a clear lane coming into the season.

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That’s beginning to change.

In Boston’s win over the Rockets on Wednesday night, Scheierman finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 23 minutes. The box score was solid, but the context mattered more. He rebounded in traffic, knocked down his open looks, and stayed involved when plays broke down.

With Payton Pritchard shifting back into his familiar sixth-man role — another example of this team prioritizing collective success over individual status — at least one starting spot will quietly remain fluid from game to game. Outside of Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, there are fewer fixed answers than it might seem.

After a recent 112-93 win over the Sacramento Kings, Scheierman joked that opponents see him as, “a 6’7” white guy with shaggy hair and some tattoos,” someone they like to test. Early on, I probably saw him the same way. He was a player that was easy to overlook.

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What’s becoming clear is that overlooking him is missing the point.

Instead of focusing on what Scheierman might become, I want to talk about the role he’s playing now, and how the Celtics are benefitting from it.

Why Baylor Scheierman’s role fits Joe Mazzulla’s system

Joe Mazzulla’s system does not ask every player to bend the game, but rather asks them to understand it. Decisions matter more than volume, and connection matters more than individual output. The Celtics function best when lineups stay organized, possessions stay alive, and players know exactly why they are on the floor.

Baylor Scheierman does not need touches to stay involved. He rebounds to extend possessions, moves the ball quickly when advantages are small, and…

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Publish date : 2026-02-06 11:22:00

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