Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman was assigned to the G League on Sunday. That wasn’t needle-moving news, as it continued the first-round draft pick’s regular shuttle between the NBA and its developmental circuit.
But one notable name joined Scheierman in his latest trip to Maine: Jordan Walsh.
Walsh, Boston’s second-round pick in 2023, spent most of his rookie year in the G League, but this was his first assignment of the 2024-25 campaign. He won Oshae Brissett’s old rotation spot out of training camp and already has appeared in nearly twice as many games for Boston (16) than he did all of last season (nine).
The 20-year-old’s minutes have been sporadic of late, however, with most coming either in blowouts or while the Celtics were missing multiple starters. Walsh was a healthy DNP in four of Boston’s last six games and did not leave the bench in [Friday’s loss to Memphis](https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/12/07/six-takeaways-from-celtics-127-121-loss-to-grizzlies/) despite the team losing core reserve Sam Hauser to an injury before halftime.
With the Celtics entering a stretch with just two games in 11 days, this was a timely chance to get Walsh and some of their other young players additional playing time without sacrificing their NBA depth. Also, Walsh [requested it](https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/12/8/24316573/jordan-walsh-maine-celtics-g-league-baylor-scheierman-tyler-lashbrook-greensboro-swarm). He told reporters after Maine’s overtime loss to the Greensboro Swarm in Portland that he asked to play a game with the farm club while his Boston teammates enjoyed a day off.
“I asked if I could come down and play in this game during practice (Saturday),” Walsh said, via CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell. “I asked some of my (player development) coaches. … Brad (Stevens) called me and said, ‘You want to go down?’ I was like, ‘Can I play in a game real quick?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah.’”
Maine’s closing lineup in Sunday’s game was all players either on Boston’s roster (Walsh and Scheierman) or on two-way contracts (Drew Peterson, JD Davison and Anton Watson).
Walsh scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting (3-of-7 from three) and was a team-best plus-19 in the game. Scheierman scored 16 and was a plus-13, with each player adding five rebounds. Davison, who entered Sunday ranked second in the G League in points per game and fourth in assists per game, finished with 27 and seven and hit two 3-pointers in overtime.
The G League used the “Elam Ending” method of deciding overtime games, setting a target score rather than playing extra five-minute periods. Maine lost 109-108 after Watson was called for a questionable foul on what would have been a game-clinching steal and head coach Tyler Lashbrook was hit with a technical for arguing the call.
Greensboro made the ensuing technical free throw to win the game.
The Celtics have a four-day break before they host the Detroit Pistons at TD Garden on Thursday. Maine’s next game is Wednesday night at the Long Island Nets.