The Boston Celtics went into the Summer League with significant interest in how their roster would perform. The offseason saw some significant roster turnover that is going to require some of the Celtics' developmental players to shift into major contributors in the coming season.
While the Celtics will be able to reasonably predict how Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard will contribute, there are question marks all over the rest of the roster, and the hope was that Summer League could provide some of those answers.
In the three games played, the Celtics have a few individuals who have broken out. Late-signing Charles Bassey has proven to be a force on the defensive and rebounding fronts. 2025 first-round pick, Hugo Gonzalez, has shown aggressiveness and the potential that led him to be a first-rounder. Jordan Walsh has shown some flashes of improvement, and Head Coach Joe Mazzulla values the defensive skill set Walsh brings and recognized his passion in Game 3 after his ejection.
Most surprisingly has been the lack of development or improvement in shooting from last year’s first-round draft pick, Baylor Scheierman.
Scheierman was drafted out of Creighton and was believed to be a sharpshooter with significant prowess from beyond the three-point line. With the roster the C’s had last year, he was barely able to get any time on the floor, but in G-League play, he shot around 41% from beyond the arc.
In three games this summer, Scheierman has had some abysmal performances from beyond the arc, going 1-for-8, 1-for-7, and 4-for-13, respectively. That’s concerning, considering that summer league competition isn’t quite at the standard of regular season play. Celtics basketball under Mazzulla has been predicated on outside shooting. The phrase “live by the three, die by the three” is thrown around a lot, but the Celtics truly embrace it. If this trend continues, Scheierman is dying.
That doesn’t mean the summer has been a complete bust for the former first-round pick. Scheierman has shown improvements in playmaking, doubling his prior summer league assist numbers and showing an increased focus on defense. It could be that Scheierman is focusing on that part of his game this summer, and the shooting will follow, but these shooting numbers are alarming.
While the NBA has become somewhat positionless, Scheierman is a shooting guard who seemingly has lost his ability to shoot in Las Vegas. With the Celtics needing contributions from new places this season, the younger Celtics and summer league participants have a golden opportunity to become part of the long-term plans. If Scheierman’s shooting doesn’t improve, he’s looking at more time in the G-League when he should be expecting to get a spot in the rotation this year.