One Young Celtic Has Already Really Impressed Mike Conley: 'I Like Him A Lot'

Baylor Scheierman's willingness to do the dirty work has already impressed veteran Mike Conley, but the team is looking forward even more improvements heading into this season

Apr 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman (55) reacts during the second half against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The range of outcomes for this Boston Celtics season is pretty wide, partly because of the unknowns about the team and partly because of a tightly-packed Eastern Conference where only a few games separate the competition. 

One way to get closer to the best-case scenario is for the fringe guys to take some kind of leap. A lot has been written this summer about Boston’s young wings and how at least one, maybe two, need to step up on a regular basis. Baylor Scheierman has been at the forefront of that conversation, mostly because he’s currently the most well-rounded player of the group. 

“There's a lot more talent in here than I ever thought,” Mike Conley said on day two of Celtics training camp. “You could go down the list. Baylor has impressed me a lot.”

Those are words that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Conley has been in the league for a while, so he not only understands who has real NBA talent, he gets that saying something like that will get picked up. But he has reason to believe his own words. 

“The other day, Baylor, I think I got like got like four offensive rebounds in one possession, and I just said, ‘I like him,’” Conley said. “Like that's all I need to know. I like him. I like him a lot. And obviously, he did a bunch of other things other than that. But his willingness to crash and keep possessions alive and make the right reads was impressive. Stuff like that sticks out to me.”

That's going to be a big part of Scheierman getting minutes. Someone has to bring the energy and grit in these support roles, and he has proven his willingness to mix things up. But Scheierman can also bring skill and basketball IQ to the table. 

“I think that's what the summer is for. The ability to earn more,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Baylor's a guy that is extremely professional with his work and his development. If a guy earns it more, he earns it more. I also think it's a natural progression for our team. The more guys that we have being able to do more things, the better it makes them. Baylor works on his craft. Yes, he's great at the hustle stuff and the offensive rebounds. But he takes the other stuff just as serious. I think he's gotten better at it more this summer."

Scheierman slowly dialed in his shooting last season, finishing just behind Luka Garza for the team’s best three-point percentage (39.9%) and behind Payton Pritchard to Boston’s second-best corner three-point sniper (49.4%). Consistency there will help him earn more minutes, but so will his ability to turn the threat of a three into a playmaking opportunity.

“I think maybe just a little more on-ball reads and stuff like that,” Scheierman said of what he tried to improve over the summer. “A lot of times I was in like the little stuff of, you know, diving on the floor, getting offensive rebounds and things that I love to do and things that I can do at a high level. But then also I think my playmaking and my ability to see the floor is something that I think is a strength of mine.”

Scheierman has spent a lot of time over his first two seasons improving his body and mind for the opportunity he has now. He’s proven to be a capable defender and, clearly, a guy not afraid to do the dirty work. Conley is already impressed with what he’s seen, but there's a real chance for Scheierman to show even more this season.