Plenty of new faces, whether that be to the team in general or to its rotation, became a part of the Boston Celtics over the past eight months.
For many of these players, the 2025-26 season was an opportunity to prove that they belonged in the NBA. Luka Garza and Baylor Scheierman entered training camp with their careers possibly on the line.
Garza spent his first four NBA seasons buried on the bench, largely behind the Minnesota Timberwolves’ strong frontcourt rotation. Scheierman hadn’t gotten much burn in his rookie season in Boston and struggled to shine at July’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
The uncertainty surrounding the Celtics made it seem like everyone on the roster would get a chance to show what they’re capable of. For both players it was do-or-die time, most likely.
They took the chances when they came their way and absolutely ran with them. The energy that both men played with was enough to earn them a start with the season on the line in Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Getting a lot of guys in the rotation that really haven't had much experience in the NBA to this point, and having them grow throughout the season and establish themselves and show what kind of impact they can bring to the table, was pretty cool to see,” Sam Hauser said Sunday at the Auerbach Center.
Neither scored, but they earned the opportunity to be out there with their play throughout the series and beyond.
Baylor Scheierman's confidence and toughness never wavered
Scheierman emerged as a tremendous rotational wing option for Boston over their final 49 games, of which he started in 20. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing during that stretch while shooting 44.6% from the field and 39.6% from beyond the arc.
The Celtics clearly found something with the former Creighton standout. His ability to shoot and also make plays for others when he puts the ball on the floor make him a versatile offensive option for the Cs. Not to mention how much he grew as a defender.
His grit and toughness were displayed throughout, but no more than when he fractured the thumb on his shooting hand and missed a grand total of zero games.
“I think it was just a constant level of growth throughout the entire year, physically, mentally, just continuing to learn the game, and continuing to get more comfortable with it,” he shared.”
If there’s one thing that defined his season, though, it was the confidence that he carried himself with on a nightly basis -- a rare feat for a player who earned minimal run in his rookie season.
“Obviously, as I've talked about before, have a lot of confidence in myself, but continuing to just grow and learn, and credit to the coaching staff and all the guys on the team and the vets for helping continue to help me grow in that area. I know I still got a long ways to go, so I'm excited to get after it.”
Luka Garza became a surprising rotation staple for the Cs
Garza proved to be a solid frontcourt option for Boston -- a team that’s lack of center depth was made to be its biggest weakness back in September. Every second that he was on the court, he was playing hard, sprinting the floor, crashing the offensive glass, and knocking down open threes.
The series outcome wasn’t what he, or his teammates, were hoping for, but he was able to reflect on the journey that brought him to the point where he was trusted to start in a Game 7.
“I tried to take a second to just sit in it after the game, in the locker room, and I was overcome with a lot of gratitude just to be in the spot that I’m in compared to last year, the last few years, where there were moments where I never thought anything like this would happen.” Garza said. “So obviously I worked and coaches trusted me, and I took advantage of a lot of opportunities that led to this point, and I'm just going to continue to do that.”
The former collegiate player of the year signed a two-year deal in Boston last summer, so he’ll be back next season (barring a trade) to capitalize on more opportunities.
“This is, if anything, this is a lot of fuel that's a to a fire that's pretty well burning already,” Garza added. “So I'm just going to continue to do what I can every single day to improve myself and to try to help this team and organization. It's my plan this summer.”
Both Garza and Scheierman are a reminder that the Celtics didn't walk away from this season with nothing. Would it have been great to put together a deep playoff run and push for another NBA title? Yes, but they've still figured out that these two, among others like Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez, can be real, impactful rotation players next season and beyond.
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