Baylor Scheierman was the Celtics' first-round pick in 2024.
Baylor Scheierman was the Celtics' first-round pick in 2024.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Baylor Scheierman is in his second season playing for the Celtics, but, apparently ESPN’s Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t sure who Scheierman is until he saw highlights of the Celtics’ win against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
“I don’t even know who this kid is,” O’Neal said during a recent episode of Inside the NBA. “I ain’t ever letting nobody named Baylor or Scheierman score on me. “Scheierman? Who he play for?”
Scheierman was a first-round pick in 2024. He has played in 59 games for Boston this season, making 16 starts during Jayson Tatum‘s absence. He posted a 16-point, 10-rebound performance on Sunday against Cleveland.
Shaq admitted that he had no idea who Baylor Scheierman was during Celtics-Cavs halftime highlights.
Scheierman finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds for Boston. #NBA
(h/t: @CelticsAdam34) pic.twitter.com/rjvhRxlsRl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 9, 2026
“He’s just another connector. He doesn’t care about starting, he doesn’t care about anything except competing. That doesn’t get awarded enough, is competing and care factor. He doesn’t care anything about competing at the highest level and executing,” Joe Mazzulla said of Scheierman after Sunday’s win.
“He takes a ton of pride in that. When you have a guy that doesn’t miss a beat regardless of the situation that he’s or the circumstances that he’s in, you kind of see stuff like that. I think he’s going a great job handling it.”
Scheierman suffered a thumb fracture earlier this month, but it hasn’t caused him to miss time. He’s shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range this season, scoring 4.8 points per game in 16.5 minutes per game. He is also averaging 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
The Celtics are two games into Tatum’s comeback, and, so far, Scheierman’s minutes haven’t dipped. He played 21 minutes against the Mavericks on Friday and 25 minutes against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
Tatum, who played 27 minutes in both games, said that he is on a minutes restriction.
“It’s been seamless, I would say,” Tatum said during a recent interview on NBC Sports Boston. “I’ve got such a great connection with most of the group. I’ve played with most of these guys for a long time. A bunch of high IQ players. The toughest part for me is just being on a minutes restriction, that [expletive] sucks, quite frankly.”
“That’s the toughest part, playing shorter stints and sitting for a longer time than I normally am, but I understand the bigger picture.”
The Celtics leaned on Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Hugo Gonzalez for help on the wings with Tatum out. The young trio has played three-quarters of the season without Tatum, allowing for more minutes than normal. Tatum made his return on Friday and will likely see his workload increase as he gets further along in the season.
The Celtics return to action Tuesday night against the Spurs. They’ll be back on ESPN Wednesday, March 18 when they host the Warriors.
Khari Thompson can be reached at khari.thompson@globe.com.