CHARLOTTE -- The Celtics’ wing rotation has already started to sort itself out, and the early edge belongs to Baylor Scheierman.
Boston is still working through different looks on the perimeter, with Jordan Walsh opening the season as a starter, Hugo Gonzalez getting turns in the first five, and Scheierman and Sam Hauser each drawing one start. But Hauser stands apart from the rest of that group. He is not in danger of losing his role if he keeps doing what he has done for years: elite team defense and elite 3-point shooting.
The real competition is among Walsh, Gonzalez and Scheierman, and the minutes tell the story so far. Through eight Celtics games, Scheierman is leading the trio at 21.0 minutes per game.
Walsh is next at 15.4, with Gonzalez at 12.8. All three have appeared in every game this season.
That lines up with what has shown up on the floor. Scheierman has been the most impactful of the group, even if he is not quite as strong defensively as the others.
His offense has given Boston a clear boost. He brings ball-handling, playmaking and 3-point shooting that matter when he’s on the court, and he may also be the best rebounder among the three.
Walsh has had a mixed start. There have been good stretches and rough ones, and while his rebounding has been solid and his 3-point shot has looked serviceable, he has not yet matched his own standard.
“I think it’s been okay. I don’t think it’s been good or great or nothing like that,” Walsh said at shootaround on Friday morning when asked about his own play so far this season.
“I think it’s been just okay. I haven’t been the best version of myself, but the team’s winning, everybody’s happy, so it’s all good.”
He also made clear that the moving pieces in the starting lineup are not the issue.
“No, that’s not about that,” Walsh said. “I mean, that’s just kind of like Joe saying he wants to try new things, like, that’s fine.
But still, I’m still playing the same amount of minutes, so I still gotta produce in those minutes. I feel like I gotta do that better.”
Offensively, Walsh is still showing the same rough edges he has had before. There is a delay in his decision-making, and his finishing at the rim remains inconsistent.
Gonzalez is dealing with similar growing pains. He can put the ball on the floor, but once he gets to the basket, the result is far from certain.
Both Walsh and Gonzalez have been useful defensively, but they have also had moments where they get beaten off the dribble and drift out of position. Neither has been as steady as Scheierman, and that is showing up in how Joe Mazzulla has distributed the minutes early in the season.
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