BOSTON — Baylor Scheierman hit his first shot of the night, keeping the Celtics afloat as the Pistons jumped to an early lead. It was an important 3-pointer right at the end of the shot clock, saving a possession that was going nowhere.
Scheierman then kept making shots in the first half as part of his own best game of the season. But it was his work as a whole that stuck out in the Celtics’ win over the Pistons on Wednesday, the team’s best win of the season. Scheierman was tasked with guarding All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham for long stretches. His hustle play on a fast break brought the TD Garden crowd to their feet. Plus, through it all, it looks like the Creighton product is out there yapping and hyping himself up.
“That’s kind of how I’ve always been going back to high school, college, and now here,” Scheierman said. “I like to just play with a sort of flair on the court. I like to bring a lot of energy to the game. I think that’s part of the game, something that brings a lot of energy, I think it’s contagious, too.”
Scheierman is one of four unproven wings on the roster, but in some ways, he gets lost in the shuffle. Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez are the other guys who are a similar archetype among themselves. Whenever they touch the court, they bring an edge and physicality that helps the Celtics boost their energy levels.
But with Scheierman, he’s not an athlete that can jump out of the gym like Minott or a lengthy defender like Walsh. So, he has to affect the game as he knows best. His shot-making was critical early on, finishing Wednesday’s game with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. But he showed some grit down the stretch to help the Celtics overcome the Pistons.
“He was amazing for us,” Derrick White said. “He kind of kept us in the game. Who knows what the score would have been without those 3s he hit, the pull-up and everything he did. And then defensively, he’s just super solid, always in the right position. Kind of made (Cunningham) work and forces turnovers for us. He’s a guy that I don’t think lacks confidence, but it was great to see him get the time he got today and take advantage of it and make a lot of little plays for us.”
Scheierman hasn’t received much playing time this season. He’s gotten run in a few games, but Wednesday was the first time he made a notable impact. Scheierman finished with a season-high 30 minutes — and he earned all of that playing time. It’ll be about building off his Wednesday performance for the second-year pro, but it was a step toward a consistent role.
“Just a lot of time honestly, just in the weight room,” Scheierman said. “Just continuing to work on my body. And honestly just watch a lot of the scout. Watch a lot of film of who I’m playing against and trying to pick any sort of tendency that I can because obviously I’m trying to find every advantage I can.”