What did Baylor Scheierman learn from his first true taste of the NBA playoffs?
"Everything matters, right? Every little detail, every possession, it all accumulates into, like Joe's talked about, you can find it, and you can lose it real quick," said the second-year wing at exit interviews the morning after the Boston Celtics saw their season come to an abrupt ending.
It's a succinct way of capturing the story of his team's first-round rivalry clash with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics raced out to a 3-1 series lead. They held a 13-point advantage in the third frame of Game 5 on the TD Garden parquet. From there, the Sixers dusted themselves off the mat to land three haymakers, including a 109-100 victory on Boston's home floor in Saturday's winner-take-all matchup.
Experiencing that lesson first-hand will shape Scheierman's approach this offseason.
"Going into the offseason, that's kind of my approach, attacking every rep in the weight room, on the court, continue to get better with film study, and just continue to grow."
What does Baylor Scheierman want to work on specifically?
It was a breakout season for the former Creighton star. He went from appearing in 31 games and averaging 12.4 minutes as a rookie to playing 77 and earning nearly 20 minutes of floor time in his Sophomore year in the NBA. With more opportunities, Scheierman repeatedly reinforced that he's a winning player with a well-rounded skill set.
So, how does he plan on cultivating that this summer? And what type of player does he envision himself as moving forward?
"One, in the weight room, continue to get stronger and quicker, laterally, change of direction stuff, I think I can still grow in that area," said the 25-year-old wing while discussing how he'll attack this offseason. "On the court, obviously, I feel like my ability to be able to create for others and read the game, and be able to be a secondary or third playmaker, coming off a screen or coming off a pin down, things like that. I think that that's an area where I can really excel at and continue to grow.
"And then, continue to work on finishing at the rim. I think that's a big part too: Floaters and slow steps and finding angles. And I've always prided myself on being able to impact the game in about every area. And I think that's who I am and who I want to be in this league, is just being able to impact the game in whatever way necessary. But I think those two things is where I'm super honed in on."
Regarding his work in the weight room and to continue improving athletically, in his second season, Scheierman saw his physical transformation allow him to blossom on defense. The six-foot-six wing impressed when given opportunities to guard top options like Kevin Durant, Cade Cunningham, and Cooper Flagg. Consistently, he won with anticipation.
His acumen and his motor also sparked growth as a help defender. On that side of the ball, it fueled the aspect of his game that he believes he developed the most this season.
"Situational awareness, I think, is my biggest growth this year," Scheierman voiced while discussing his growth on defense the morning of Game 5 between the Celtics and the 76ers. "Joe preaches that a lot, giving the game what it needs. And it's [being] able to realize the situation and how the game's flowing offensively and defensively, and be able to make reads and plays off of that. And I think that's probably my biggest area of growth I've seen over the course of this year."
Offensively, as he noted, he gave Boston a secondary and third playmaker. One who is comfortable putting the ball on the floor to keep the defense in rotation and create quality looks for him and his teammates.
Scheierman also stretched the floor, giving the Celtics a reliable option from well beyond the arc. According to NBA.com, he knocked down 35.5 percent of the 1.6 threes he hoisted from 25-29 feet. He buried 45.5 percent of his 1.5 attempts from 20-24 feet. That's the second-highest conversion rate on the team among those launching more than one attempt from that distance per game.
Number 1 High School Musical fan, Baylor Scheierman's head is definitely in the game 🎶 🏀 pic.twitter.com/gZ7Azste0C
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 13, 2026
There's also his nose for the ball. He consistently fights to come away with rebounds at both ends of the floor. That includes averaging 1.0 offensive rebounds per game in the playoffs. It's a skill that always impressed those who coached him at Creighton.
"He would just go get the ball wherever it was, at all times. And that, again, his IQ is so -- it's so far above average that he just reads where the ball's gonna go," Steve Merfeld, the assistant to the head coach for the Bluejays' men's basketball team, told Hardwood Houdini earlier this season. "He was as good a defensive rebounder as I've ever been around."
Scheierman's unflappable nature and winning ways make him an ideal complement for the Celtics' star tandem. He gives them a dynamic wing at both ends of the floor who's on the verge of entering his physical prime. What next season's roster looks like is a mystery right now. However, if he's a part of it, he should seize the chance to become a rotation fixture and someone who helps with Boston's mission to atone for what happened in this year's playoffs.
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