Coming off a strong win against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics were in for a challenge, playing against the Toronto Raptors the following night. After going down 22 points, Boston would claw back and win 98-93. Even though Toronto was without Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard, it was still great to see the resilience of this Celtics team.
One player who impressed last night was third-year forward Baylor Scheierman. With Paul George out due to an illness (he more than earned a night off after his great play against Philly), Scheierman got the start against the Raptors and delivered. Scheierman scored 9 points (3-for-5 from the field, all from deep), while adding seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.
After a rough start to the season, Scheierman has been much better during the month of November. Since the turn of the calendar, the Creighton alum is averaging 8 points (shooting 51.4% from the field and 56% from three), 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. While this is only a seven-game sample size, seeing Scheierman find his footing this season after a solid sophomore campaign is much needed.
With how Scheierman has played as of late, Boston should consider keeping him in the starting lineup for the time being.
Baylor Scheierman making strong case to remain in the starting lineup
Most of the starting lineup for Boston is set in stone. Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Paul George are all locks, with Neemias Queta being the starting center (taking over for Mitchell Robinson, who began the season starting before being moved back to the bench). For most of the season, Jordan Walsh has been the fifth starter.
Given how he's played, though, Scheierman should be considered for that spot over Walsh. They each have different strengths, with Scheierman being better offensively and Walsh better on the defensive end. Looking at the other starters, adding someone better offensively would make more sense for the group.
All four of the other starters are solid defenders, but outside of Tatum and George, the offense can be a little inconsistent. Queta has some limits offensively, and White isn't off to the best of starts. Adding Baylor, one of Boston's best shooters and a ball handler from time to time, could help Boston.
The most surprising area that Scheierman has helped Boston with is rebounding. Every rebound that the Nebraska native is on the court for, he always makes an effort for it and is an underrated rebounder for his position and size. Earlier this month against the Milwaukee Bucks, he finished the game with 11 rebounds. While he won't have that many every game, his hustle on the glass has been important for Boston, especially with how much of an emphasis they put on rebounding.
We'll have to wait until Boston returns to the court to see whether or not Scheierman remains in the starting lineup. After playing two games back-to-back and coming off a four-game road trip, Boston gets three days off before hosting Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, November 15th. Along with seeing if Scheierman remains in the starting lineup, it will be interesting to see if Sam Hauser continues his strong start to the season.
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