The Subtle Progress of Baylor Scheierman

He's flying somewhat under the radar.

Finding impactful rotation players is a key element in constructing a contending roster. Sure, you need your stars in place, but it’s the pieces you put around them that can make or break a push for success.

The Boston Celtics have their two stars. Jaylen Brown is surging in his new role, and when Jayson Tatum comes back, Boston will have its elite one-two punch to lean on. However, the search for viable rotation pieces is still ongoing.

When Brad Stevens gutted the high-level depth during the summer, both by trade and by letting Luke Kornet and Al Horford leave in free agency, it was obvious that the search for younger, cost-controlled rotation talent was underway.

Not every flyer will come via free-agent pickups. Josh Minott has been an early-season success story, but so has Jordan Walsh, who joined the franchise as a second-round dice roll in 2023.

Sam Hauser was an undrafted gamble that hit. Payton Pritchard is a late first-rounder who, in a re-draft, would arguably be a lottery pick, if not top-10. I mean, Killian Hayes, Kira Lewis Jr., Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton are all guards who have struggled in the league that were drafted before him. That’s before we get into the James Wisemans of it all.

Finding depth is far from an exact science. Look at the Orlando Magic and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last season. KCP had been a floor-raiser for two championship teams in recent years, but his fit with the Magic was iffy at best. And thus, he was flipped in a deal for Desmond Bane, and now Orlando looks significantly better.

You can’t guarantee a trade will work out. The same can be said for free-agent additions, and indeed for draft picks.

Of course, there has to be a level of patience in these scenarios, too. Sometimes, especially with young guys, it takes a couple of years for them to find their footing in the league. To learn what type of player they are now that they’re not spearheading a team as they did in college, high school or even AAU.

That’s why it’s been so pleasing to see Baylor Scheierman start to rediscover the flashes of upside that we saw from him toward the end of last season.

In the last three games, Scheierman has looked far more comfortable. And in the last month, he’s had two games where things appeared to be clicking — Houston on Nov. 1 and again against Detroit on Nov. 26.

One of the first things I look for when attempting to evaluate a player’s on-ball offensive development is how they control their own pace of play. Do they look sped up? Is their movement erratic? Too many body feints? Too much twitchiness?

When things start to slow down, and they take their time, regardless of what the defense is doing around them, good things start to happen. I mean, you can have all the tools in the world, but if the game is moving at lightspeed, how can you make consistently good decisions?

Personal pace.

There’s a difference between playing slow and being slow.

Kyle Anderson should have taught us that lesson by now.

Unfortunately for Celtics fans, we’re still scarred by the Romeo Langford experience. He always played at his own pace. Yet, he rarely showcased the aggression he needed to capitalize on the level of control that he had.

There has to be a middle ground. Blending aggressive decision-making, movement and shot-selection with the ability to not let outside factors take you out of your comfort zone.

Tatum learned how to do that. Brown has figured it out. Pritchard and White are masters at cycling through their gears as and when they feel comfortable. Even Hauser has added that to his game when attacking closeouts.

So, when Scheierman hit this bucket on Sunday, his control, movement and personal pace jumped out of the screen at me.

Scheierman’s patience allows him to read the closeout. He sees the weakside dig coming at the nail and has the control to flow into a gather step. Then, rather than forcing a shot up, he gets back into the middle of the floor for the soft finish.

That’s personal pace.

It’s playing your game.

And, it’s an indicator that he’s adjusting to the speed and intensity of the NBA.

Here’s another example of Scheierman’s pacing.

How often would he have shot this last season? Or in Summer League? Or even during the opening weeks of this season?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a high-quality three that he’s more than capable of knocking down. However, rather than trying to impress — which it often feels like he’s doing — he opted to lean into his own game.

Scheierman read the closeout. He knew the pressure would have arrived as his shot mechanics reached their release point. So, he faked the shot to get his defender off his feet before driving the lane.

Yet, rather than turning the jets on, he took his time. He waited for his defender to get back in the play and then used his off-hand to create separation.

Was it a push off?

Maybe.

Did it get called?

Nope.

So, Scheierman controlled his tempo, got to his spot and created a quality scoring opportunity for himself.

He took control of the possession and made a read.

As a four-year collegiate product, Scheierman entered the NBA with a higher floor. His expectations are to be a star in his role. To develop into a player who can be one of those pieces you put around your All-Star talents when constructing a championship-level team.

Scheierman is a sophomore in the NBA. It doesn’t matter if he’s 25 (which he is) or 19. His experience in the league is still in its infancy. And that means showing patience.

We’re into the second month of the 2025-26 season. In terms of role players, the conversation has centered are the trio of forwards fighting for minutes, Anfernee Simons’ potential future and whether Stevens needs to enter the trade market for another big man.

In truth, Scheierman is somewhat falling under the radar.

Part of that is due to low expectations.

Part of it is because he’s filling a position that already has depth.

But, isn’t that what makes his minutes more interesting? Not only is he getting on the floor, but he’s doing so at multiple positions, and is slowly figuring out how to be effective in those spots.

That’s why I’m not focusing on Scheierman’s box score numbers. It’s why I’m not worried about the nights where his shot is off.

Instead, I’m looking at a second-year guy who’s spent 41% of his minutes at the 2-guard position (down from 61% last season) and 52% at the three (up from 36% last season) and watching for signs that he’s figuring it out.

After all, if he can capture what we saw from him in college — a player who can score across all three levels, create for himself and others and rebound at an impressive rate — then he can become another one of the Celtics’ draft wins. More importantly, the team will have another long-term rotation piece on what is hopefully a cost-controlled deal with his bird rights secured.

And that’s really the point here.

The Celtics don’t need Scheierman to be anything more than solid. They don’t need him to turn into some kind of late-bloomer revelation.

They just need him to be playable.

They need him to understand where his advantages are, operate within them and give them steady minutes across multiple positions.

What he’s shown over the past few weeks — the pacing and the patience — those are the first hints that a player is starting to “see” and “feel” the NBA game. Or at least, they are to me.

Once their on-court perception slows down, the reads get cleaner, the decisions get quicker and shots come within the flow rather than against the tide.

Scheierman isn’t there yet.

He’s not supposed to be.

But he’s moving toward it.

And for a team that’s trying to rebuild its depth on the fly while toeing the line of fringe contention, that kind of quiet progress is essential.

Scheierman’s not the only one making developmental strides. I mean, internal development was arguably the hidden identity of the season from the moment Stevens started selling off assets to keep the bailiffs at bay.

Still, Scheierman could have a role to play. Not this year, but certainly next. And these developments, starting with the improved personal pace, are the first signs that he could be ready to embrace a third-year jump.

Of course, we’re only in December, so it could still be too soon to tell.