Celtics Turn to Scheierman as Injuries Shuffle Starting Lineup Against Hawks
ATLANTA - With Payton Pritchard sidelined due to ankle soreness, the Celtics will turn to Baylor Scheierman to fill the gap in the starting lineup Saturday night against the Hawks. It’ll be Scheierman’s third start of the season - a testament to the trust he’s earned from head coach Joe Mazzulla and the locker room, even in limited minutes.
Scheierman’s numbers on the year don’t jump off the stat sheet - 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds across 11.7 minutes per game - but his value goes beyond the box score. He’s appeared in 35 of Boston’s 40 games so far and continues to be the kind of player who stays ready, even when his role fluctuates from night to night.
That consistency in preparation hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“He works really hard, so he’s always prepared,” Mazzulla said ahead of the matchup. “His confidence never wavers - whether he plays well or whether he makes a mistake, his confidence in his ability to impact winning is always there, and that helps a lot.”
This isn’t new territory for Scheierman. He stepped into the starting five earlier this week against Indiana when Sam Hauser was nursing hamstring tightness. Now, with Pritchard joining Chris Boucher (lower back spasms) and Josh Minott (ankle sprain) on the injury list, Scheierman gets another opportunity to show he can hold his own in the rotation.
Derrick White, who’ll start alongside Scheierman in the backcourt, echoed Mazzulla’s praise.
“He’s been amazing,” White said. “It’s tough; you never know how many minutes or if he’s gonna play, but he’s always ready.
And when he comes in, he just does a lot of things for us. I feel like it’s always a positive segment when he’s out there with us.”
Boston’s full starting five for Saturday night: Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Neemias Queta.
One name notably absent from that group? Anfernee Simons.
Despite dropping 39 points against the Heat on Friday and averaging 18.3 points and 3.6 assists over his last eight games - all while shooting a blistering 49.1% from the field and 51.6% from deep - Simons will come off the bench again. It’s a situation that mirrors the role Pritchard played last season: a reliable scorer who stays ready in a reserve role, even when the team is shorthanded.
On the Hawks’ side, they’ll roll out CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Vit Krejci, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu as their starting five. Atlanta will be without Dyson Daniels, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Zaccharie Risacher.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m., with the Celtics coming in at 25-15 and the Hawks sitting at 20-23.