The Celtics’ preseason opener gave Baylor Scheierman a little bit of everything to work with, and he made the most of it.
Boston beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-113 on Thursday at Rocket Arena, and even with eight players out - including Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard - the visitors still looked like themselves. They played with the kind of pace and purpose that has become part of the team’s identity. For Scheierman, the absences also meant a bigger chance to handle the ball and show what his game can become.
At Media Day, Scheierman said he wanted to have more impact with his on-ball reads. In the Celtics’ first preseason game, that part of his game was on display right away.
The third-year wing didn’t just shoot the ball well. He helped run the offense, made smart decisions in space, and mixed in the kind of hustle plays that earn trust fast.
The 26-year-old Nebraska native finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He took seven 3-pointers and made four of them.
Scheierman was active as a creator, too. He worked the pick-and-roll with Luka Garza, got into the paint, and even found Jordan Walsh with a cross-court pass for a clean 3 that didn’t fall. He showed the blend that makes him useful: a shooter who can also put the ball on the floor, see the floor, and set up others.
But the most memorable stretch came when he turned a broken play into a highlight. After one of his 3-point tries was blocked, Scheierman was first to the loose ball and flipped a behind-the-back pass to Chris Cenac Jr. for a two-handed dunk.
That was only the start. On the next sequence, after grabbing a rebound at the other end and briefly losing his shoe, Scheierman hustled to beat Mario Hezonja to a long miss. He then went to the floor, fought for possession before Peyton Watson could secure it, and somehow twisted himself into position to deliver a bounce pass to Luka Garza for a layup from his kaboose, facing the opposite end of the court.
That kind of night summed him up well. Scheierman kept toggling between being a threat with the ball and making life easier for teammates without it. One possession he’s spacing the floor and firing away; the next he’s diving on the hardwood to keep a play alive.
It was the kind of all-around showing that suggests he’s ready for more as he looks to build on last season’s breakout.
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