Despite his humble beginnings at Aurora High School, in a small Nebraskan town with less than 5,000 people, Boston Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman is no stranger to a crowd. He regularly played in front of approximately 17,000 fans at home games for the Creighton Blue Jays and became even more accustomed to packed stadiums during his several March Madness outings. Those experiences didn't make over 19,000 Celtics fans cheering him on at TD Garden on a Tuesday night any less special.
In front of the Boston faithful, Scheierman tallied a season-high 20 points in just 16 minutes. He only missed one of his eight attempts from the field and cashed a game-high six triples (he had previously made five shots from beyond the arc total in his NBA career). The 24-year-old's effort off the bench helped propel the C's to a 104-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, whom they've defeated eight straight times.
When asked what it was like to net a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in a tight contest at home, Scheierman said the crowd's reaction was part of what makes Boston such a great sports town.
“It's pretty special,” he stated in his postgame press conference. “When I hit that buzzer-beater and the crowd was going crazy, that was probably a top-three environment I've ever been a part of. And, obviously, I played in a lot of big games. So it's just special. And that's obviously what makes Boston so elite and the best sports town in the country.”
Celtics fans are typically going nuts for stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but neither played on Tuesday. That gave Scheierman an opportunity to shine and prove that he can contribute beyond the G League, where he's averaged over 20 points per game with the Maine Celtics.
“I think I've done a good job of trying to just be where my feet are, whether that's Maine or here,” he said. “I try to just learn as much as possible as I can from the people up in Maine and while I'm here as well. [I'm] just trying to take bits and pieces from everybody and kind of mold it into my routine and how I go about things. And I think that's the biggest thing that I've seen over the course of the year, just the growth that I've learned and staying ready for whenever my number is called.”
How has Scheierman handled a shortage of minutes with the Celtics?
Getting drafted by the Celtics immediately put Scheierman into a winning environment, as Boston is fresh off its 18th championship in franchise history. However, it also meant that minutes would be hard to come by due to the Celtics' impressive depth. The 2024 first-round pick is averaging under nine minutes per outing in 19 games, yet he's made the most of it in March.
During a 123-105 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers in early March, Scheierman scored 15 points — four more than his combined offensive output through 15 games. He then surpassed that career-high mark versus Brooklyn, making it the fifth time a Celtic had recorded a career-high for points in the last eight games.
Outside of scoring, the first-year Celtic also posted one assist, two steals, and two of Boston's six offensive rebounds. Those underrated contributions allowed Scheierman to get involved and find his rhythm for the rest of the night.
“You know, my role offensively isn't necessarily super big,” he admitted. “So just being able to impact the game in a lot of ways, in whatever way possible, can get me going offensively.”
After beating the Nets for the 14th time in 15 regular season games, the Celtics are 50-19 overall and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference. Before they enter the playoffs and seek back-to-back titles, they'll embark on a six-game road trip, which is their longest of the 2024-25 campaign.
Boston's brightest stars probably won't play in every one of those road battles, so Scheierman should have another chance to show he's ready for the moment.
