As each day of the 2026 NBA offseason passes, we inch closer to the start of the 2026-27 regular season for the Boston Celtics. And as Opening Night draws nearer, the outline of the roster that will take the floor for Game 1 of 82 is starting to come into focus as well.
After Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens traded star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, it became clear that this is a critical season for the team's current contention arc, with the team being remade to maximize the rest of the team's sole superstar, Jayson Tatum. What is the ceiling, floor, and our expectation for each of the players currently under contract with Boston given this sea change in structure for the team?
To such an end, Daniel Donabedian
and Justin Quinn of the Celtics Wire took a player-by-player deep dive into the answers for these questions. So let's dive into our assessment for Baylor Scheierman for this edition of our player projections for the campaign soon to arrive.
Baylor Scheierman - wing
Ceiling
JQ: Scheierman is the leading candidate not named Paul George to pick up the lion's share of the scoring vacuum created by the trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of next season barring big surprises in training camp. And if his scoring (ironically, the skill he brought to the NBA as a rookie) can catch up with his rebounding and defense, we might see the Nebraska native double his 5.5 points per game from last season.
The Creighton alum could also boost his frequency from beyond the arc while working on his already-solid passing, further boosting that scoring as a drive-and-kick option Boston lost with Brown. The latter is pretty reasonable, the former less so – but both are not out of the question.
DD: Scheierman, like many of the other younger Celtics on the 2026-27 roster, is trending upwards. He’s coming off a strong season in which he escaped the back of the bench and entered a whopping 77 games — an impressive number that proves he earned the trust of Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
That’s not a huge surprise, as Scheierman is a true 3-point threat. The 25-year-old is more than capable of shooting over 40 percent from deep next season. His offensive talent could make him one of the first guys Boston brings off the bench and his defense is solid enough to keep him on the floor when it matters.
Floor
JQ: Much of what is driving expectations for Scheierman next season is the strong finish he had to the end of the 2025-26 regular season, his postseason play being less consistent. Development is never linear, and while as an older player heading into his age 26 season we won't likely see any major leaps, we could see him start the campaign in a slump.
In terms of what that looks like for his season, it could see Hugo González or Jordan Walsh leapfrog him in the rotation, the latter more likely to keep it and never look back. That would not be the worst outcome for the team, but Scheierman is running out of runway to take off as a serious rotation player at the NBA level in such a scenario.
DD: The Celtics have a fair amount of wings and forwards at the moment, so Scheierman isn’t immune to getting lost in the shuffle. If his 3-point percentage declines and the rest of his shot creation proves lacking, the third-year Celtic could lose minutes to Ron Harper Jr., Hugo González, or Jordan Walsh.
Those less experienced C’s will have to fight it out for playing time, and it’s worth noting that Scheierman doesn’t have a contract extension to fall back on like Harper Jr. and Walsh. In short, a poor season could cost him some money and hurt his long-term future in Boston.
Expectation
JQ: I expect Scheierman and González to be in the mix as the starting shooting guard for much of the regular season, with neither dominating it outright, perhaps even being settled by matchups as much as recent trends.
For the Hastings native, that probably means about 25-30 starts, and a stat line that sees him log around 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal per game, his 3-point efficiency taking a small hit from last year's 39.9 percent from deep.
DD: When it comes to Boston’s group of younger wings, I’m highest on Scheierman next season. He’s likely the best shooter of the group, and that matters in Mazzulla’s system. Although he doesn’t have the youth of González and Walsh, his NBA experience is superior and his defense isn’t too far behind the aforementioned wings.
Moreover, the opportunity will be there for Scheierman, unlike in his rookie year. Former Celtics star Jaylen Brown is gone and nine-time All-Star Paul George isn’t known for his durability. Sam Hauser will be ahead of him on the depth chart, but I expect the gap between them to shrink. The Nebraska native has a real shot at becoming a rotation player, especially if George misses an extended period of time.
Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Ceiling, floor, expectations: Baylor Scheierman with the Boston Celtics in 2026-27
