I read a comment on a recent post here, and it formed a thought bubble. It made me realize how important "the rest" of the Boston Celtics will be this season. This was the comment (or at least, the part of the comment that sparked the idea):
From PatsNorthAttleboro: "I have zero belief that Paul George is going to do anything for the Celtics except win a few meaningless regular season games. Success will depend on the development of Sheierman and Gonzalez."
For what it's worth, I don't fully agree with that tidbit about George. His defensive playmaking and 3-point talent should make him an ideal fit in this Celtics system. And in the playoffs last year, he looked incredible against the Celtics. A true two-way force.
That said, he can't stay on the court consistently. From that perspective, George is a risk. He hasn't eclipsed 41 games played, though his 37 games last year were marred by a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.
Regardless, the piece of this that intrigued me is the latter: "Success will depend on the development of Scheierman and Gonzalez. Because, to an extent, I believe that is true.
A part of it goes back to what Brad Stevens had to say at the post-Jaylen Brown trade press conference. Part of the reason the Celtics decided to trade Brown was so that they could pay other guys without having to worry about the CBA.
Obviously, all eyes first went to Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh. Even, on a much smaller scale, Ron Harper Jr. All four guys got extensions this morning. But what if, in reality, the Celtics have bigger dreams in mind?
Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez are the prime examples. Both played heavy minutes for the Celtics last year, and both have a chance to take another significant leap next year.
Right before Jayson Tatum returned from his injury, Scheierman was the man. Joe Mazzulla moved Pritchard back to the bench for a stint, and who replaced him in the starting lineup? Scheierman.
In those games, Scheierman averaged 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field and 32.1% from deep on 5.3 3-point attempts per contest. He earned 27.4 minutes per game in those 10 appearances.
The 3-point efficiency certainly wasn't ideal, but it was merely a snapshot of his potential impact. Then, fast forward to the end of the year, and Scheierman had a couple of what I will deem Pritchard Classics.
Before Pritchard broke out into the top-notch sixth man (and maybe more) he has become, he was tossed into some fun end-of-season positions. If you were watching the Celtics during their last couple of games of the season (and they had nothing to play for), you were in for a Pritchard Master Class.
A 30-point triple-double here. A 40-point game there. They were flashes of the player he could potentially become, and eventually did become. In hindsight, it was foreshadowing.
So, what happened with Scheierman at the end of last season? Well, in the Celtics' final game of the season, he helped them beat the Orlando Magic -- who were playing their starters and trying to win with playoff implications on the line.
He put up 30 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 8-of-20 from the field and 6-of-14 from deep range. He only turned the ball over three times in 38:48.
It was just one game. One game of giving the bench players the reins. But Scheierman took advantage of it. And he did it against real NBA players. A playoff team that needed to win the game.
A single performance at the very end of a season isn't enough to bank on. But combined with the consistent high-impact play Scheierman brought on both ends of the court, it's enough to start a foundation.
Pritchard's end-of-season flashes were a premonition. He brought enough talent throughout the course of the regular season to prove that he had potential, and his final-game explosions reaffirmed that belief. That's what could be happening with Scheierman.
Then, there's Gonzalez. And it seems as though the Celtics believe he hasn't