There has never (over the past several years) been more opportunity for young players to earn minutes in the Boston Celtics rotation than there’s been this season. One of Joe Mazzulla’s most consistent press conference responses in the early weeks of the 2025-26 campaign revolved around how his team wasn’t going to have a set rotation this year.
Too many new faces were being integrated into the team for Mazzulla to have a true gauge on his personnel so early. 50 games into the season, minutes still fluctuate on a nightly basis.
As a result, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, and Josh Minott, who just recently returned from an ankle sprain, have fought for three spots in the rotation all season long. Each player has spent some period of time watching from the bench while the others earn consistent playing time.
With Friday’s win over the Sacramento Kings serving as a night off for Jaylen Brown, it was Scheierman whose name was called to fill his spot in the starting five. The decision made sense. Scheierman’s third-quarter minutes were one of the only silver linings from Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
“I’ve tried to make the most of every opportunity I’ve gotten, and with that comes more trust,” he explained to reporters in the locker room Friday.
The energy and fight he brought to the game gave Boston a spark they’d been missing all night. Scheierman carried that same mindset with him in his starting opportunity.
The former Creighton standout spaced the floor nicely for the Celtics, knocking down open triples when the ball found him on the perimeter. He finished the night with 16 points on an efficient 6-10 from the field and 4-7 from long range.
Scheierman earned his keep on defense, though. Offense was just gravy. He delivered in the same areas where he’s made an impact all season. Hustle plays, smart reads, and an overall impressive defensive motor.
“He's developed into a utility guy for us defensively, where he can defend different matchups,” Mazzulla told the media postgame. “He's made some plays. He draws some legal screens for us, but he can make defensive plays. He knows how to play versus cross matches at the other end. He's been making some shots and giving us the offensive rebounds. I'm pleased with where he's grown defensively for us.”
Heading into the season, Scheierman made a point to improve as a defender, pointing to his work in the offseason as the thing he thought would surprise people the most.
“I'd probably just say defensively,” Scheierman responded at media day when asked what part of his game would surprise people most this season. “Just being a defensive playmaker and being able to use my instincts to impact the game in a positive way on the defensive side of the ball.”
Defense is the key to unlocking more opportunity in Boston
Defense is the name of the game for any rotational player looking to earn more opportunities in Mazzulla’s system. Scheierman, Gonzalez, Walsh, and Minott all impact winning on that side of the floor, and Boston’s head coach challenges them to test their limits there.
“Those three guys are at the top, they have to be able to defend the best player.”
For example, Walsh checked into the game about two thirds of the way through the first quarter and took the challenge of defending Kings guard Zach LaVine. LaVine got off to a quick start, scoring nine early points on 2-3 from the field and 4-5 from the foul line.
He tallied just eight more on the night, albeit he sat out the majority of the second half, but Walsh’s presence made things more difficult on him.
“I thought Jordan kind of took ownership of [wanting to defend LaVine],” Mazzulla acknowledged. “We gave up some tendency stuff, where it was… LaVine got three left shots to his left hand, and we fouled him on a jump shot twice, and he was a little comfortable there.”
The best part of Boston’s depth is that it doesn’t stop with just one of these guys. It’s all of them. When Walsh goes to the bench, then Gonzalez takes a turn. When he takes a breather Scheierman steps in.
No matter who starts, who sits, and who’s on the floor, the next guy is always waiting to come in and be a pest.
“The ownership from, you know, Jordan, Hugo, and Baylor to be better at that is kind of the growth of those guys as defenders.”