Boston Celtics Rookie Stars in Win over Nets

The Boston Celtics began the hunt for their 50th win on Tuesday night down some of the team's best players, with forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown sitting out due to injury. They took on the Nets, who have struggled mightily this season and are cruising towards a fairly high lottery pick at the 2025 NBA Draft.

Still, Brooklyn hasn’t been a complete pushover this season, and the Celtics needed some fire-power to grab win No. 50. Luckily, they got just that from rookie Baylor Scheierman.

The final first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Scheierman has gotten extremely limited burn for the defending champions this season, playing in just 18 games in total at just seven minutes apiece. As a player who thrives via rhythm, he’s done little in those minutes, scoring just 1.7 points per game on 27% shooting.

Against the Nets, though, Scheierman saw what was easily the best professional game of his short career so far. Across his 16 minutes, he poured on a blistering 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, hitting all but one of his seven 3-point attempts.

Even more, the former Creighton sharpshooter did more than just sink triples, adding three rebounds, two steals and an assist in finishing with a +4 plus-minus.

Suffice it to say, Scheierman was pivotal in the team’s eight-point win, which came down to the wire. With the clock winding down, the 6-foot-6 wing scored nine-straight points to will the Celtics an arms-length lead. 

With contention again on the horizon, there’s likely no real chance Scheierman’s able to insert himself into the lineup in the near future. But in the least, he’s shown some sky-high ability as a perimeter scorer.

The Celtics next take on Utah on Friday, March 21.