NBA Notebook: Maine Celtics GM Jarell Christian on JD Davison and Baylor Scheierman's development

The Celtics signed two-way guard JD Davison to a standard NBA contract on Saturday to round out the team's playoff roster, fill the 15th and final open spot that remained available for most of the season and potentially position Davison to make next year's team. ESPN reported it was a two-year deal, though similar past contracts have carried non-guaranteed or team options that maintained flexibility for Boston while having the option to bring him back on minimum salary money if they want to. 

The signing mostly rewarded Davison's dedication to the Maine Celtics development program. Davison played only 35 NBA games across his first three seasons since Boston selected him No. 53 overall in the 2022 draft. He returned to the organization for a rare third season on a two-way deal last summer, Brad Stevens mentioning his continued development and keeping him as a priority for the team when he seemingly showed enough to go elsewhere. Davison won G-League MVP this season, averaging 25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game on 48.1% shooting, while his 32 points and 17 rebounds against Westchester led Maine to the east finals in the G-League playoffs.

There are still questions surrounding his NBA fit with Boston centering around his height, three-point shooting ability and heavy on-ball role that make him breaking through Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard, among ball-handlers at other positions, a difficult take for the 22-year-old. Though Joe Mazzulla recently praised Davison's improved ability to get off the ball on offense. It's a necessity if he's going to make it with the Celtics. 

Maine just finished a 21-13 season under first-year head coach Tyler Lashbrook, an assistant on Boston's 2024 championship roster. They went 21-13 after a slow start, defeated Capital City and Westchester in the playoffs behind a combined 70 points and 29 assists across the two wins on 28-for-50 shooting (10-20 3PT). They fell to Osceola, 135-122, in a slower shooting night (10-22 FG) where Davison still scored 34 points. Mazzulla said the back-and-forth nature of Davison's season impressed him most, joining Boston to recognize his MVP award and play six minutes in an NBA game between the Capital City and Westchester wins, driving from Boston to New York overnight for the latter one. 

“It’s the two-way grind,” Davison said. “That’s what I signed up for, but you gotta stay locked in, trying to be where your feet are.”

Boston Sports Journal spoke with Maine GM Jarell Christian last month about the development of four key players with Maine this season, including 2024 first-round pick Baylor Scheierman.

BSJ: (Davison) has given you guys a lot of structure to be able to develop different guys, to be the point guard running everything, but he's obviously grown so much too here. Where have you seen him grow and what do you think is next for him? 

Christian: “I think his leadership has evolved from a 20-year-old, 19-year-old, or whatever it was when we got him, and I think the thing that’s unique about JD is he’s been the one constant among the coaching staff that’s changed every year, and the thing that’s different, obviously you know this, but the game plan and all of that against the Boston Celtics is based around wings, J.T., J.B., where here, it’s a lot of the point guard being the dominant ball-handler and creating for a lot of different people. So it’s a little different in terms of scheming against us than it would be with Boston, but I think the biggest thing with him is his growth and his maturity and his leadership. He’s been able to do it year-in and year-out. He’s come a long way from a rookie, so I'm proud to be around him for those three years and got to watch that evolution."

BSJ: For Drew (Peterson), when you brought him, what were you expecting from him, especially with you guys here, and then to see him break through a little bit with Boston this year in his second season? 

Christian: "In Boston, our front office and scouting department does a great job of getting eyes on a bunch of different players at all different levels. Jake Eastman was a guy that watched Drew Peterson for a while and was a huge fan of his. We knew what we were gonna get from him, it was gonna be shot-making, a high IQ and a guy that plays team basketball. Once you add that type of person to the mix, it helps a guy like JD out, because it takes some of the ball-handling responsibilities off him and it's also a guy who can stretch the defense, so JD can get downhill and get to the rim as much as he wants. So we knew we were getting a guy who had high IQ, high character who can dribble, pass and shoot, and he's done exactly that." 

BSJ: You guys moved on from Anton (Watson), brought Miles (Norris) in, what was the thinking behind that move and now that you've seen Miles ... what are you expecting from him going forward? 

Christian: "We expect more of the same from what he's been doing. His whole career, he's been a pretty good three-point shooter, he brings the athleticism as you all saw today, but he's just a guy who has a tremendous upside. A guy that with his size, that can shoot the three ball as well as he does, I think it would be a no-brainer for us to try to get him on a two-way and then try to see if we can get him to the Boston Celtics roster in the long-term. But the athleticism is definitely an NBA skill that he has and his shooting the basketball is unique at that size." 

BSJ: Baylor, you had him up here for a while this year. Did you expect that? And he became part of this team this year until he moved up in January and then had that breakout (in March) ... what have you seen from him this year and where he is now compared to where he started? 

Christian: "The thing with Baylor, he's very competitive, he's got high character and he's a great teammate. So I just knew with all those things, once he got an opportunity in Boston, he was going to relish it. So one of the things that we knew, whatever happened with him in Boston, whenever he got his opportunity, he was gonna play hard and if you play hard in the Garden, you're already a fan favorite. So I was just happy to see him get some confidence shooting the ball while he was here with us. He didn't do a great job in Summer League with Boston, or training camp with Boston shooting the basketball, but he found his rhythm here, knew where his shots were gonna come from and just got comfortable with it. Once a guy like that gets confidence, he's tough to stop." 

BSJ: Did anything else excite you about this season looking back on it? What made this year good for you guys? 

Christian: "I would say very similar to last year, in regards to us starting off and not making the Showcase Cup and being 8-8 and being a .500 ball club through basically January. Some of the things that we did, we just brought in a couple of pieces. DJ Rodman was a huge piece, Kameron Warrens helped us tremendously in January and February, Tyrell Roberts, so we just made some key moves throughout the year that kept us afloat, and a credit to the guys like Hason Ward, who got so much better from the start of the year. So guys continued to get better, but also, some of the pieces we brought in, I thought, really helped us, but the coaching staff did a great job with whoever we were playing and whoever we brought in. Those guys did a great job of being able to adapt and adjust."

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (39-42): Clinched eighth seed on Friday night with a win over the 76ers and will visit the Magic on Tuesday to decide who will play the Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher scored 38 points in 35 minutes in the first half of their back-to-back on 15-for-20 shooting, continuing his growing case for rookie of the year as this class' second-best scorer so far. Stephon Castle has him beat by more than 200 points, but Risacher (45.8% FG, 35.5% 3PT) has scored more efficiently. A Hawks-Celtics series would mark the second over the past three seasons between like-minded coaches Joe Mazzulla and Quin Snyder, but Atlanta would be without Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela and De'Andre Hunter, who they traded at the deadline. The Celtics haven't seen them since then, last losing in January in overtime after a collapse late in the fourth. 

Boston (60-21): Jaylen Brown missed Friday's win and will not reach the 65-game minimum for All-NBA eligibility. The Celtics removed Brown from Tuesday's win over the Knicks in the third quarter after he reached 22 minutes, the second game in a row where he minutes fell from his previous 30-minute limit. He warmed up for the following night's game in Orlando, the only top-six rotation player to do so, before being ruled out before game time. This latest demotion to being out on Friday came more than 24 hours before the game, likely spelling the end of his injury-plagued regular season. Joe Mazzulla and Brown have described him figuring out how to play a different way through his injury, described last month as a bone bruise by the team, while Brown denied pushing through pain in pursuit of All-NBA. He received a pain-reducing injection late this week and is expected to be ready for the start of the first round, according to ESPN. Signed G-League MVP JD Davison to a two-year contract into their 15th and final roster spot, making him playoff-eligible. Host the Hornets in their season finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. before awaiting the winner of Hawks-Magic on Tuesday to decide their first-round opponent. 

Charlotte (19-62): Charles Lee reflected on a challenging first season coaching the Hornets where LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and others struggled with injuries while Mark Williams went to LA in a trade that the Lakers later rescinded. Grant Williams, who tore his ACL earlier this season, returned to Boston with the team for the first of a two-game mini series to close their season. Lee also recalled Joe Mazzulla's comments about Lee forcing his way into Boston's locker room during their series in Charlotte earlier this season. Lee laughed off the criticism while saying he hasn't spoken to his former head coach much this year. Typical Joe, he said. 

Chicago (38-43)/Miami (37-44): The Bulls will host the Heat on Wednesday with the winner advancing to play the loser of Hawks-Grizzlies for a chance to face the Cavaliers in the first round next weekend. For Chicago, their emergence as a potential 7-8 seed came too late in the schedule, but Billy Donovan still looked forward to the team's younger players earning the chance to play meaningful games late in the schedule. For Miami, the worst losing streak in Erik Spoelstra's coaching tenure gave them little-no chance of rising above this position in the standings following the Jimmy Butler trade. A loss to the Bulls would keep them out of the playoffs for the first time since 2018-19 and set up more changes. 

Dallas (38-42)/Lakers (49-31): Luka Dončić scored 45 points with eight rebounds and six assists while draining 7-of-10 from three in an emotional return to Dallas to defeat his former Mavericks, who gave away shirts thanking him and played a long video tribute before the game. While Dallas competed early and trade architect Nico Harrison sat courtside, the crowd grew abrasive and emotional themselves as the game swung in the Lakers' direction, unloading the loudest fire Nico chants reporters in the building had heard all year. Head coach Jason Kidd bizarrely began the night saying it's cool that the Dončić deal has been compared to Babe Ruth, seemingly not realizing they're the Red Sox. The Mavericks clinched a play-in spot following Anthony Davis' return late last month, who's averaging 19.3 PPG and 9.4 RPG over his last eight games (5-3), but a win over the Kings on Wednesday only buys them a second play-in game for a potential first round series against the dominant Thunder. The Lakers clinched the west's third seed on Friday. 

Denver (49-32): Fired head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth after 10 seasons where he led the Nuggets to the 2023 championship. The shocking decision came with three games remaining and Denver poised to make the postseason for the seventh straight year, but the possibility increased that they would fall into the play-in tournament after four straight losses earlier this month. Dissent between Malone and Booth reportedly contributed to the decision that would've inevitably happened at season's end, but with conflict potentially hurting their chances at making the most of this season, they made what tied for the latest coach firing in NBA history. Assistant coach David Adelman became the interim coach, a popular candidate for other head coaching jobs around the league in recent years. Denver won his first two games to remain No. 4 in the west standings. They finish the season against the Rockets with a chance to clinch home court in round one. They can fall as far as seventh with a loss. 

Detroit (44-37): Locked into the sixth seed after their loss on Friday to the Bucks, setting up a first-round series against the Knicks, who they defeated in three out of their four meetings, including two wins at Madison Square Garden. They gave themselves a chance to move up to fifth in the standings by beating a resting Knicks team on Thursday, needing two wins over Milwaukee to pass them in the standings entering their weekend home-and-home. Jaden Ivey (leg) was cleared to resume basketball activities after fracturing his fibula on Jan. 1. The winner of Pistons-Knicks will advance to play the winner of the Celtics' opening series in the second round. 

Golden State (47-33): Close their season against the Clippers after a bad loss to the Spurs this week put them at risk of falling into the play-in tournament. A win will secure the sixth seed for them, but a loss could send them spiraling to seventh and hosting a play-in game against the Grizzlies on Tuesday. The Warriors own tiebreakers over both, so only Minnesota can pass them with a win and a Warriors loss. If they secure the sixth seed, Golden State and the Lakers will face off in a highly anticipated continuation of their rivalry. 

Houston (52-29): Clinched the west's second seed and will face either the Warriors, Timberwolves or Grizzlies in a first-round series. They split the season series with Minnesota, 2-2, lost 2-3 to the Warriors and took 3-of-4 from Memphis, so they'll face the most doubts of any of the higher seeds in either conference. This marks their first playoff appearance since 2020, the first time there for many of the team's players and they could face a team capable of winning the west right away. But Ime Udoka has a Finals appearance in his first head coaching season on his résumé. 

Indiana (49-32)/Milwaukee (47-34): The Pacers' loss to Orlando and the Bucks' win over the Pistons locked them into the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, and a first-round rematch of the six-game series that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo and other key Milwaukee players miss games with injuries and allow Indiana to begin its run to the east finals. Indiana holds home court now, their first series beginning there since 2014. Damian Lillard's uncertain status for the playoffs will likely position the Pacers as favorites to win again, Tyrese Haliburton ascending back toward All-NBA status with 19.4 PPG and 10.9 APG since March began, but this will mark Antetokounmpo's first healthy postseason since 2022. 

Clippers (49-32): Could move up to fourth in the west with a win and Nuggets loss, which would give them home court in likely a series between the two teams, though Denver falling out of the 4-5 seeds could allow Minnesota to move up as high as fourth in the west. The Clippers got swept by the Wolves in three meetings, split their games against Denver, 2-2, have won seven straight games and with health and stability on their side, appear in position to factor heavily in the west playoffs for the first time since 2021's west finals run. 

Memphis (47-34): Fell to 3-5 under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo after losses to Minnesota and Denver that locked them into the 7-8 play-in game, a massive downfall from spending most of the season as the west's second or third seed through the end of February. They'll face a difficult Wolves, Warriors or Nuggets team for a chance to play the Rockets in the first round. Ja Morant, still in the headlines for his celebrations over his play, moved on from his three-point shooting celebration toward tossing grenades. Rookie Jaylen Wells, a candidate for rookie of the year after ascending as a starter, went to the hospital after a scary fall during a dunk attempt. He'll miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist, concussion and facial laceration, but remained awake, alert and able to move, posting Go Grizz from his bed after the game and asking about the score. He was discharged from the hospital the following day. 

Minnesota (48-33): Anthony Edwards scored 44 points to give the Wolves a leg up in the race to avoid the play-in tournament over Memphis, combining with Julius Randle's 33 to win the first two of their three final games. They finish against the Jazz on Sunday, with a win securing at least the seventh seed with a chance to move up to fifth if the Clippers and Nuggets fall in front of them. They lose a head-to-head tiebreaker to Golden State. Edwards, now averaging 27.4 PPG and shooting 39.5% on more than 10 three-point attempts per game, has an intriguing case to beat out Donovan Mitchell for the final spot on the All-NBA First Team. He leads the NBA in threes made by one over Malik Beasley.

New York (50-31): Jalen Brunson returned from his ankle sprain to beat Phoenix before his 27 points and 10 assists put the Knicks in position to defeat Boston for the first time before OG Anunoby allowed a last-second three to Jayson Tatum that forced overtime, where Kristaps Porziņģis drained a game-winning three over Brunson. Brunson reached 65 games, securing his All-NBA eligibility, while New York solidified the three seed despite losses to Detroit and Cleveland, but a difficult first round awaits for a team facing defensive questions and finishing 0-10 against Boston, Cleveland and Oklahoma City. It's hard to not think Tom Thibodeau is coaching for his job despite having a great year.

Orlando (41-40): Clinched the east's seventh seed and will host the Hawks, having beat them in 2-of-3 so far, on Tuesday for a chance to meet the Celtics in the first round. They also conclude the regular season against each other on Sunday, an interesting position for both teams, who will likely rest their regulars, but Orlando blew out Atlanta earlier this week in a key seeding game for both teams. The Magic boast a bruising defense that still ranks No. 2 in defensive rating, but their offense issues mounted in being unable to score 100 points on the Celtics with their top-six rotation players out on Wednesday in a blowout win for Orlando. Paolo Banchero scored only 15 points after averaging 30.2 PPG over his previous 20. 

Philadelphia (24-57): Joel Embiid underwent arthroscopic surgery on his ailing left knee and will be evaluated in six weeks, the 76ers announced. Embiid last played on Feb. 22 and logged only 19 games this year before he and the team assessed various treatment options to address lingering swelling. Philadelphia has since lost 21-of-24 and sit in the fifth spot entering the draft lottery with their first-round pick only top-six protected from the Al Horford salary dump with Oklahoma City. 

Phoenix (36-45): Missed the NBA Playoffs due to an eight-game losing streak late in the year despite injuries ravaging the Mavericks and allowing the Suns to take control of the play-in race over that stretch. Instead, Kevin Durant went down for the season with an ankle injury, Bradley Beal struggled to come back from a hamstring ailment and Devin Booker couldn't carry a group of role players who couldn't consistently complement the team's big three, who never fully meshed and appear headed for an inevitable breakup. It's unclear if Mike Budenholzer will take the fall for the failure, but he would follow Monty Williams and Frank Vogel in back-to-back-to-back firings across three seasons. They owe their first-round pick to the Rockets from the Durant trade since Brooklyn swapped its Phoenix first-rounders with Houston in return for the picks they gave up in the James Harden deal.