"I Don't Even Know Who This Kid Is" - Dear Shaq: Meet Baylor Scheierman, The Year 2 Celtic Who Absolutely Rocks

David Liam Kyle. Getty Images.

After the high from Tatum's debut on Friday against the Mavs wore off, it quickly became time to mentally prepare for one of the toughest gauntlets of the Celts schedule.

@CLE

@SA

@OKC

A bit of a different level of competition than the Mavs, and a much better test not only for the entire roster since these are "title contending" teams, but more importantly it's a legit test for Jayson Tatum to see just how ready he is for the types of teams the Celtics will be facing in their playoff run. We have no idea if he'll play all three opponents, but it was out first look at how he would be against teams with a pulse. No matter how you sliced it, yesterday's game against the Cavs was a big one.

So, what happened?

The same thing that usually tends to happen in these spots. The Celts brought out the belt. Yes, the final score says they won by 11, but this was a game they led by as many as 26. Don't let some fake Cavs run late fool you. Outside of the first two minutes when CLE was up 11-3, the Celtics (and Tatum) completely controlled this game. That shouldn't really surprise you, because you are watching one of the best road teams in all of NBA history in the 2025-26 Boston Celtics. Sorry if that offends

For those counting, this marked the 16th double digit road win on the season for the Celts. If you're curious, that ties OKC for the most in the entire NBA. Seems good, but that's just my own personal opinion.

For good reason, the New Look Cavs have been getting a lot of attention and praise. They've had the best offense in the NBA these last few weeks, one of the best records since acquiring James Harden, and over their last 10 games were averaging 116 points a game.

As you can see, the Celts held the Cavs to 98 points. Sure, they didn't have Jarrett Allen, well, the Celts didn't have Vuc, plus the Cavs had 4 days off prior to yesterday. Didn't matter. 

Of course, the SA/OKC will be an even higher level of competition, and some may consider those two the actual contenders of this gauntlet, but we look ahead, we first must talk about what we saw yesterday.

Let's begin.

The Good

- I'm just going to tell you right now, as long as Jayson Tatum plays and looks even remotely like himself, he's getting the top spot. In fact, even if he plays like shit he's probably going to get the top spot. His playing at all is worthy enough, plus since we're 60+ games into the season, he'd normally have around 50 or so top spots by now, so I'm just making up for lost time. The good news is this is one of those situations where he not only played well, he once again looked like the Jayson Tatum we know and love

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We started this game with Tatum nearly outscoring the entire Cavs roster himself, when he got off to his strong start of 12 points in the first quarter. There was a stretch where his 12 nearly matched the Cavs 15. Everything about his shot profile early screamed vintage Tatum. We got the pull up 3s, we got the post up fadeaway, we got the strong drives to the rim and finishing through contact, and perhaps the move that made me happiest of all was probably this one

It may seem small to you, but not to me. The quickness of the move, the trust in his body, the sign that there's no mental hurdle to make a strong move like that, all of it is so encouraging. The gather and strong jump off two feet. I'd say this was my favorite Tatum play, but I can't ignore the late 4th quarter clutch dagger. That, let me know that Tatum is truly back. Remember, this is one of the best late game scorers in NBA history. That is a fact, not opinion. I don't care what he shoots during a game as long as he comes through in the high leverage situations, and that's exactly what he did.

Given what we saw offensively against the Mavs, I wasn't really surprised the offense continued to look good against the Cavs. What was a surprise, was how active and locked in defensively he already looks. Just look at this

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The Cavs did their best to test Tatum every chance they could, and he not only responded to the challenge on every possession, he won the battle each time. Watching him be this good on both ends of the floor in Game 2 is so insane my brain doesn't even really know what to do. Where is the rust? Where is the hesitation? They weren't lying when they told us Tatum had been ready for a while, because the player I am watching right now is basically pre-injury Tatum. To think this is the worst he'll look as he makes his way back, yeah it's OK if your brain is going to dangerous places.

- One of the biggest surprises and main storylines of this entire Celtics season is the growth and the production of the young, unproven wing talent. From Hugo to Jordan Walsh to Baylor Scheierman (and even Ron Harper Jr tbh), they all have not only proven to be playable, but they're all having the best possible seasons imaginable. All hits, every single one. Anyone who has paid attention to the Celtics for 2 seconds this season would be able to tell you that. It's something we see every single night.

Shaq, apparently, isn't one of those people

How embarrassing. Is this supposed to be a flex? Because it's not. It's the opposite, actually. The Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA. Baylor has started nearly 20 games this season, and has been a rotation fixture all year. Pretty embarrassing for a basketball analyst to openly admit on TV he has no idea who a player was as if he's some random G League guy who just got called up.

Well Shaq, allow me to introduce you to Baylor Scheierman. He's a Year 2 Celtic who is having an incredible season and is a player who absolutely rocks. I would argue it's his leap that has become one of the more important developments of the entire rotation, because now stuff like this is the norm

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I don't really know how else to say it, Baylor is just flat out good now. The defense and the rebounding were already fantastic, well now what if his jump shooting is coming around as well? How many MASSIVE 3PM did we see Baylor make in high leverage situations? I'd say 3 of his 4 makes. That running hook? I didn't even know he had that in his bag.

Whether it was as a spot starter or a reserve off the bench, what impresses me most about Baylor is the consistency. In my opinion, that's always the toughest part for a young player. It's easy to be good every once in a while, it's another thing to be consistently good, regardless of opponent. We know what we're going to get when Baylor touches the floor, whether that's gerat defense, great rebounding or now, a legit jumper. His effort on the glass is how the Celts continue to earn extra possessions, and I'll remind you, this was pick #30 in the Draft.

You take a step back, and the Celts are getting legit rotation minutes from a Year 2 #30th pick on a team that is contending for the NBA title. You realize how nuts that is, yes? This isn't a Lottery pick. It's not even a high 20s pick. When we saw Brad Stevens doesn't now how to miss, this is what we mean.

Like all the unproven young wings, I'd say what we're seeing from Baylor's development can only be described as the best case scenario. We had no idea how things would go this year with his new opportunity for minutes, and the fact that this is what we're getting is what makes this entire season so special. 

- Remember leading into the return of Tatum how much we had to hear about Jaylen Brown #1 hoops, how they wouldn't fit, how things had changed blah blah blah. So fucking pathetic. These two have been the best and most successful duo in the entire NBA for nearly a decade, and yet they wouldn't know how to work together? Morons, all of you.

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Another incredible Jaylen performance, once again not pressing and forcing things but rather reading the game and giving it what it needed at any moment. While the Cavs were making their run in the 3rd, Jaylen took that on the chin and got to his spots while helping maintain the Celts scoring. When it came time for Jaylen to make the right reads and create for his teammates, he did. When it came time to defer to Tatum and let him cook, he did.

You know, just like they've ALWAYS done.

Tatum even said it himself, things have been seamless working his way back into the flow of things

Which is why shit like this was so pathetic to hear leading up to the return

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The media tries SO HARD to deny what has been right in front of their faces for a decade, it truly is incredible.

There is no power struggle. There is no hierarchy struggle. The Jays want to win. The Jays know how to win. The beauty of the Boston Celtics is that they are led by TWO players who can BOTH be #1 options and play with #1 option usage. What makes it special, is that it can happen within the same game.

THAT is what makes this team different. THAT is what made them Champions. 

What has really helped this dynamic is that this season, Jaylen has taken a big time playmaking leap. His ability to process things and read the floor has been so much better than prior seasons, and you can see it in how he plays. The passes he's making and the reads they require, those are things that were not happening in previous versions. Him needing to carry that #1 role this season is how that happened. The same way Tatum took that passing leap in 2019-20, Jaylen is taking it this season.

The result? Well you just saw it. Went right into the house of a title contender and completely controlled the game. Beautiful stuff.

- Holding that Cavs offense to just 10 points in the 2nd quarter. Holy moly. Another opponent under 100, finally defending the 3pt line, only allowing 1 quarter over 29 points, this was the type of championship defensive effort that the Celts have shown all season. When they lock in on that end of the floor, there's really no beating them. You just have to pray they miss every shot, and unfortuantely for the Cavs, that did not happen. Celts still made 15 3PM on 39% from deep, they got to the line 22 times (20 makes), and they barely turned it over. Add that to elite defense, and that's how you get the belt.

- For those who believe Payton Pritchard never shows up against good teams, yesterday was a tough one for you. I would argue his production was just as massive as anyone else's when it comes to this victory. They needed him to show up, and show up he did

18/7 on 7-12 (2-6) off the nench in his 34 minutes, the biggest thing about Payton's performance that I loved was the fact that he got back to being aggressive. Passive Payton Pritchard sucks ass. Aggressive Payton Pritchard? That guy rules. Some big time makes to stop the Cavs momentum from building, big time makes to help create the separation early, it was the exact type of performance the Celts not only needed in this game, but will need from Payton moving foward against these high caliber teams once the playoffs begin.

It's always pretty obvious which version of Payton we're going to get when the game starts, because Passive Payton never looks for his shot. Aggressive Payton is out for blood. With Tatum back in the mix and the gravity he plays with, these opportunities are going to be there for Payton to take advantage. Nobody is leaving Tatum, so Payton has so much room to get into the paint and force rotations, whether he decides to take the jumper or find a teammate. The Cavs had no answers yesterday, and that wasn't all that surprising. 

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- Shoutout Garzilla. The guy just continues to come off the bench and give the Celts exactly what they need in his minutes. Hustle, rebounding, and knocking down open 3PA. With Vuc out for a month it's on the Garzilla to keep things moving, and the fact that he was able to be that good against a good team in his limited minutes was great to see, Just 7 points in those 11 minutes, but they were a loud 7 points.

- Also shoutout to the Celts for not completely blowing that big lead. Up 17 entering the 4th, I think we were all a little nervous, mostly because we've seen that movie before when it comes to CLE. Thankfully, things never really got under 8, and generally stayed in double digits for the majority of the 4th. Given our history, that could have gone much, much worse, so I appreciate the fact that finally, they didn't shit their pants and let go of the rope.

- I'd bet the Celtics are nearly undefeated when Sam Hauser goes 5-10 from deep like he did in this game. Those were all his FGA, and they came in both low and high leverage situations. When he's that much of a threat from deep and converting at that rate, there's simply no way to guard the Boston Celtics.

The Bad

- Fuck Tony Brothers. Enough already. He hasn't worked many Celts games this year, but in the ones he has, it's been fillde with his bullshit. Remember the Cade Cunningham call when the Celts committed a take foul at half court? The ref right in front of the play did not call it a shooting foul. Tony Brothers, from accross the court, changed the call,.

Yesterday, it was more of his bullshit. Just a completely horrendous official who cannot help himself from making game changing calls that should never exist. How about the play where the ball clearly hit the rim, nobody was watching, so Tony Brothers decided to just make it up that it didn't which gave the Cavs possession late in the 4th? Inconsistent whistles in terms of illegal screens, the whole works. He's just the absolute worst in every aspect of being an NBA offical, yet nothing ever happens. 

You know deep down he wanted to be the one to give Tatum his first tech. He's probably mad at himself that he didn't. Asshole.

- Of all the demons that the Celts have faced over the years, I don't think there are too many players who strike as much fear in me as Donovan Mitchell. I'm just convinced he's never going to miss whenever he takes a shot, especially late. You know the run is coming, and then while it happens, all you can do is shake your head. What a terrifying player.

Another 30 ball from him on 9-18, I'm pretty sure he has the highest scoring average against the Celts in history, or something close to it. They simply do not have an answer for him and haven't for years. He'll always have my respect. 

- Sorry to tell the Cavs fanbase this, but Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder are too small for this matchup. I know they were the big deadline adds, but that does not help them in this specific matchup. 

The Ugly

- Not exactly a performance that we'll tell our grandkids about from Neemia Queta. Defensively, he was meh at best, but given how good he's been this entire season, this was clearly an off night for him. Couldn't grab a rebound to save his life. Had plenty of trouble guarding Evan Mobley. Couldn't finish shit offensively, the list goes on and on. The good news is they won anyway and you just move on to the next, but this is something to monitor.

We know that against teams with a dogshit frontcourt he will feast. In his first chance during this gauntlet againt a team with a good big, he really struggled. If he bounces back against SA, that'd be a great sign. I'm not asking for the world, I just need you to actually grab the ball when a rebound is coming your way. I know he can do it, I've seen it. Where it was yesterday, I have no idea. 

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- Great everywhere else, but a bit of a regression with Derrick's shooting at 2-9 (0-3). He'd been shooting the ball so well lately, that it was a bit surprising. He's been great at capitalizing off Tatum's gravity in terms of off ball cutting, but we cannot go back to a world where Derrick misses every jumper he takes. Not against the elite teams. 

And now we move. A battle with Wemby and the Spurs is going to be an incredible challenge given they've won 15 of their last 16. You'll remember they barely beat the Celts in the first meeting without Tatum. What a perfect opportunity to get your lick back, and another great test to see just where Tatum's at as he ramps up. Win that game, and you secure a 2-1 trip, which every single one of us would have taken ahead of the start of this gauntlet.