Surprisingly, the Boston Celtics were far more active at the NBA trade deadline than fans originally anticipated. While the Anfernee Simons and Chris Boucher trades were expected, it was shocking to see President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens ship off Xavier Tillman Sr. and Josh Minott. Although the two weren’t in the rotation, both provided the Celtics with depth in case of injury.
Ultimately, Stevens made the right choice of focusing on the future, as the moves brought the Celtics under the luxury tax. One player who should consider himself lucky he wasn’t traded is Baylor Scheierman. Despite not being a trade candidate, Scheierman has yet to stand out.
As Stevens and the front office continue to evaluate the roster for next season, the second-year guard must prove he deserves a spot over the next few months.
Baylor Scheierman's Celtics Future Isn't Safe
With superstar Jayson Tatum sidelined, Scheierman was projected to be one of the players the team leaned on in hopes he could help fill the void. While Scheierman was involved early on, he didn’t provide prominent contributions. He started the season slowly, while Jordan Walsh and Minott had their short breakouts.
It wasn’t until these last few weeks that Scheierman earned a consistent role in the rotation. During this time, he has shown flashes of the 3-and-D player the Celtics selected in the first round of the 2024, averaging 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds, while also shooting 38.6% from three in his last 14 games.
Although Scheierman has shown some strides in his development, he hasn’t proven that he can consistently be relied upon. Scheierman is only an impactful player when he’s making his shots.
Just take his last two games as an example. On Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks, he finished with three points and seven rebounds, shooting 1-of-5 from the field, while on Wednesday night, he logged 15 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 5-of-10 from the field.
When Scheierman is hitting his shots, he gains confidence, and it translates to other facets in his game. But the Celtics don’t want him to be just a shooter: they want him to be a quality defender and playmaker. When he’s not shooting well, however, he’s not much of a difference maker.
These inconsistent performances led to Walsh and Minott having their minutes cut and ultimately to Minott being traded. The only reason they kept Scheierman is that they believe he’s a better offensive player and that they can work on the other areas of his game.
That’s why these next two months are extremely crucial for Scheierman. Since Stevens set the team up to spend on reinforcements in the Summer, the leash for Scheierman is short to prove he can be a valuable role player.
If Scheierman is unable to impact the game in rebounds and on defense, Boston may look to ship him off for a proven veteran.