Last season, one of the defining elements of the Celtics and their surprising success was the play of their young wings. All three of Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez broke onto the scene and had moments where they looked like rock-steady parts of the rotation despite having never contributed before at the NBA level.
A big part of trading away Jaylen Brown in the offseason was leaning into that trio and hoping to elevate them and empower them even more. They each carry different skill sets, but they’re all able to defend at a high level, to crash the glass, and provide a ton of much-needed energy.
None of Walsh, Scheierman, or Gonzalez have gotten into a rhythm
But so far this season, things have looked pretty similar to last season, with the three wings seeing their minutes yanked around a bit, nobody playing consistently, and different guys in and out of the starting lineup. As a result, we haven’t really seen any of them get into a rhythm or establish themself early in the season.
Perhaps that started to change on Wednesday night. Without Jayson Tatum and with Payton Pritchard leaving early with an injury, Joe Mazzulla had to lean on some other guys, and with a big lead slipping away in the second half, he was grasping at straws, trying different things to find the right lineup combination.
And one player who was up to the challenge was Scheierman, who played 28 minutes and had his best game of the season. He scored 9 points, notched 11 rebounds, and added a steal and an assist. He also made 3-of-4 three-pointers, was a menace on the offensive glass, and hounded guys on defense.
Scheierman on his way to earning a bigger role
His overall impact went way beyond the box score, too. The team was flat and searching for answers to stem the tide, and Scheierman played a huge role in doing so. His hustle plays and relentless energy helped shift momentum, and he was a stabilizing presence for Boston in their closing lineup.
We’ll see if there’s any carry-over and if things change with Tatum (and possibly Pritchard) back in the lineup, but if Scheierman, or any of the wings, could step up and play like this consistently, the Celtics would be in much better shape. It’s clear that Joe is in a tough spot right now. There aren’t enough minutes to go around, and nobody has emerged before this.
Maybe now we’ll see a more consistent role for Scheierman, but even then, it would have to come at the expense of Gonzalez and Walsh. In some ways, that would be a shame, but in other ways, it may be what the team needs, because splitting the minutes between all three doesn’t seem to be maximizing any of them.
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