Baylor Scheierman waited patiently in the corner for Neemias Queta to figure things out. Finally, Queta kicked it out and Scheierman rose up with a 3-pointer that fell perfectly through the net. He spun back towards the Sixers bench and blew them a kiss.
“Every time you shoot by the bench they're always saying, hell nah,” Scheierman said. “So I'm having to turn around and give 'em a little kiss.”
It was easily his most confident moment in the NBA. The rookie hasn’t had much of an opportunity outside of garbage-time run when the big boys have done their jobs. In the few meaningful minutes he has gotten, he’s had to share the floor with All-Stars and All-NBA players.
“(I had to) just try to play loose, play free,” he said after the win over Philadelphia. “If I get an open shot, shoot it. Try to be locked in on the defensive plan and just play hard. My teammates have a lot of trust me, and I just go out and play hard and opportunities come my way and just try to make the most of it.”
It’s not easy for a rookie to make an impression on a team like this. He’s not only walking into a championship atmosphere, he’s on a team where two different sets of teammates have combined for more than 80 points in less than a week. The team is so good that they sat three starters and two rotation bench players all combining for nearly 60 points a game and they still put Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard on the floor.
It’s no wonder Scheierman looked hesitant to start the game.
“It's just a balance. They tell me to shoot it when I'm open, so it's not anything coming from their end,” Scheierman said. “Just trying to get a feel for the game and how it's being played. And ultimately, like I said, my teammates have a lot of trust in me. JT is always telling me to shoot it if I'm open.”
Tatum understands where Scheierman is coming from, but he also wants to make sure Scheierman understands his job.
"You want to instill confidence in those guys, but I'm not out here holding your hand,” Tatum said. “I tell Baylor and Jordan (Walsh), all those guys, like, when you get out here, make a play. Both ends of the floor. If you're open, shoot the ball. If you have a closeout, attack it. Make the right read. Just don't be a robot. Be a basketball player. Do what got you here. And when you are in those moments, it's all about making the most of it and just making plays."
Once Scheierman settled into the game, he seemed to follow Tatum’s advice pretty well. He shot his shots, made a few passes, took a charge from Guerschon Yabusele, which alone should earn him some hazard pay. And then there was his all-out hustle play.
Payton Pritchard’s shot got blocked with four minutes left in a 22-point game. The Sixers got the ball and raced up court. Maybe a more established player would have let the play go, but Scheierman still has a lot to prove, so he broke up the play, which fired up his teammates on the bench.
Baylor Scheierman hustle play! Watch the bench's reaction! Love to see it ☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/3dNZIqKgny
— 🏆🥇 (@fsh733) March 7, 2025
“Regardless of how well he shoots, he’ll be defined by the other stuff that he does,” Joe Mazzulla said. “The rebounding, the defense, the loose ball that he chased down, the charge that he took, and the crashing. So I just thought he played a well-rounded game.”
No one is under any delusions about what happens next for Scheierman. The Celtics will take on the Los Angeles Lakes on Saturday night. It’s the marquee ABC game, which means Jaylen Brown’s knee will feel better, Al Horford’s toe will be pain-free, and Kristaps Porzingis will probably have nothing more than the sniffles. Maybe the Celtics will keep Scheierman around just in case Sam Hauser’s ankle isn’t right or as insurance because Jrue Holiday’s mangled pinky is leaving the team a little shorthanded. Or maybe Scheierman will be on his way to Cleveland to join his usual Maine Celtics teammates as they take on the Charge.
This performance doesn’t elevate him on the depth chart, but it does build some trust. The more he makes the right plays and does the things that caught Brad Stevens’ attention, the more his teammates and his coach believe in his ability to contribute to winning.
Maybe that pays off in an emergency situation this season, but most likely it just makes him a bigger part of the plan next season. It’s evidence that he might have a place on this team and in the league down the road.
For now, he’ll take whatever minutes he can find and cherish the opportunity to keep proving himself to everyone, especially in front of the home crowd.
“Yeah, I mean it's The Garden, you know what I mean?” he said. “It's the best place to play in the NBA and just the atmosphere in here is special, and it was a lot of fun to be out there for as long as I was tonight, I'll say that.”