The Boston Celtics continued their march toward the NBA postseason with yet another win, picking up a 104-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Although several players contributed to the Celtics' 50th win, few played a bigger role than rising fan favorite Baylor Scheierman.
The Nets couldn't stop the former 2024 30th-overall selection from scoring on the outside all night long. Scheierman finished the night with a career-high six three-pointers on seven attempts (85.7%), which helped foster the personal-best 20 points he scored.
As the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach pointed out after the Celtics' win, Scheierman's six three-pointers against the Nets more than doubled his season total (5) entering the game. Three of those makes also came on March 6, marking a recent hot stretch for the rookie.
Baylor Scheierman has more 3-pointers tonight (6) than he had all season entering tonight (5).
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) March 19, 2025
Whether or not Scheierman's recent uptick is sustainable remains to be seen. Having said that, his recently hot play has made him more than deserving of more playoff minutes.
Celtics Must Give Baylor Scheierman More Minutes in the Playoffs
Celtics fans hoped to see Scheierman develop into an important part of head coach Joe Mazzulla's lineup ever since he was drafted. The 6-foot-6 wing was coming off a career year with the Creighton Bluejays that saw him average 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and .448/.381/.876 shooting splits across 35 games, earning first-team All-Big East honors along the way.
Scheierman spent the early part of the 2024-25 campaign bouncing between the NBA and G League. Eventually, the Hastings, NE Native fought his way into Mazzulla's lineup last month, leading to him playing in 10 of the Celtics' 17 games since Feb. 8.
During that stretch, Scheierman has only averaged just over 10 minutes per appearance. The limited playing time has held him to a quiet 2.8 field-goal attempts and 2.0 three-point tries per game, however, he's managed to make the most of his situation by sinking 50.0% of his opportunities across the board.
On top of his reliable shooting, the good luck that Scheierman brings to his teammates is another reason why he deserves more playing. The Celtics are a resounding 17-2 whenever he's played this season, which includes wins in each of his last four appearances.
As important as it is for a team's best players to perform during the postseason, a championship can only be won if the supporting cast does its part, too. Boston knows that after last year's run. With that in mind, Mazzulla & Co. would be foolish not to find a way to increase Scheierman's playing time in the playoffs.
Speaking of which, the Celtics are heading into the regular season's final stretch with the second-best 2025 NBA Finals odds (+190) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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