Mazzulla on Scheierman: his impact ‘doesn’t get rewarded enough’

Eight minutes into the third quarter, Baylor Scheierman chased down Payton Pritchard’s missed 3-pointer and slapped the rebound back to him. The extra effort led to a feed to a wide-open Sam Hauser, who buried a second-chance three to give the Celtics a 26-point lead and forced a Cavaliers timeout.

That relentless hustle sums up the difference Scheierman makes.

“He’s just another connector,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “He doesn’t care about starting. He doesn’t care about anything but competing. That doesn’t get rewarded enough — his competing and his care factor. He doesn’t care about anything but competing at the highest level and executing — he takes a ton of pride in that.”

Scheierman’s all-out demeanor was consistent throughout Boston’s 109-98 win over Cleveland at Rocket Arena on Sunday.

In the fourth quarter, with 10 minutes remaining, Jaylen Brown launched a deep three to beat the shot clock. Right under the basket, it was Scheierman who boxed out 6-foot-11 Cavaliers center Evan Mobley and secured the offensive rebound. It didn’t lead to a second-chance look this time, and even though Scheierman didn’t need to chase the ball, he still attacked the glass anyway.

No matter how long it had been since Scheierman last touched the ball, the Celtics could count on him to be in the right place at the right time. He was a pest on defense, disrupting Cleveland’s offense at every opportunity. He delivered an elite offensive performance en route to his fourth career double-double — all of which have come in his last 14 games. To go along with his 10 rebounds, Scheierman also scored 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

He knocked down four of six 3-point attempts, including a deep 31-footer to free Pritchard from a double team.

It had been over five weeks since Scheierman last scored at least 16 points and knocked down four 3-pointers, but Boston’s trust in him never wavered. Like everyone else filling a role, it was only a matter of time before he found his next opportunity. In Cleveland, Scheierman stabilized the second-unit offense, delivered key defensive possessions, and outrebounded everyone except starter Neemias Queta, who finished with 11 boards.

Scheierman’s performance wasn’t just a confidence booster — it was a reminder of what he’s capable of.

“Obviously, we’ve got a great team — a lot of great players. Credit to them for finding me when I was open,” Scheierman told Abby Chin, per NBC Sports Boston. “They trust me to make the right play, and I just try to do that every time.”

When it came to protecting the glass and disrupting Cleveland’s offense, Scheierman’s impact was contagious. He played a major role in holding the Cavaliers to 36 first-half points, including just 10 in the second quarter. That marked Boston’s best defensive quarter of the season, as Scheierman and company limited Cleveland to 4-for-25 shooting, including a miserable 0-for-14 from three.

The Celtics used that momentum to build a convincing 56-36 advantage at the half.

“We were just really together defensively as a unit,” Scheierman told Chin. “Everyone was helping each other out. Obviously, they’ve got talented players over there, and they’re tough to stop one-on-one. We don’t play defense one-on-one — we play it as a unit, and I think we did that at a very high level, especially in the second quarter.”

Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley combined to shoot just 8-of-23 from beyond the arc against Boston’s defense. The Cavaliers finished 28.9 percent overall, converting only 13 of 45 attempts in one of their ugliest offensive showings this season. Even when they rallied and cut into Boston’s lead, they couldn’t navigate the Celtics’ defense or hit the critical, clutch shots needed to muster up a comeback.

It required playing both ends of the floor to ensure Cleveland’s comeback never materialized. Scheierman’s two-way versatility made him a problem that Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson had to account for. His first basket was an unforeseen left-handed hook over Thomas Bryant to beat the shot clock that has since become a must-see social media clip. He’s more than just a catch-and-shoot threat, and over the season he’s steadily putting teams across the league on notice.

Scheierman’s recent surge might fly under the radar for many, but it hasn’t escaped Mazzulla’s notice one bit.

“When you have a guy that doesn’t miss a beat, regardless of the situation or the circumstances that he’s in, you see stuff like that,” Mazzulla told reporters. “I think he’s doing a great job handling it.”