Celtics Summer Leaguers finding balance between freedom and role preparation

LAS VEGAS — UV rays are no joke in Vegas. But as the entire NBA prepares for Summer League, it’s not the heat that’s turning Boston Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman away from Sin City.

“Not a big fan of Vegas overall, regardless of the heat or not,” Scheierman said after practice on Friday. “Not really my speed.”

As cards fly and the Sphere dominates the skyline, hoopers litter the streets, ready to prove themselves to coaches, scouts, and front office executives alike. For two weeks, Vegas is the basketball capital of the world.

So, while the hustle and bustle of the strip may not be for Scheierman, his focus is on the hardwood.

The Celtics find themselves in a unique position. Following their successful conquest of Banner 18, they’ve brought back 13 of the 15 players who were on last year’s roster, as well as two-way players JD Davison and Drew Peterson.

With that, roles and responsibilities will look extremely similar, leaving little margin for guys like Scheierman and the Celtics’ other Summer League standouts to get real run next season.

But Boston still wants to equip them for that chance.

When Sam Hauser was earning his stripes in the G League, the Maine Celtics played him in a similar role to the one he was training to take on in Boston. Now, Hauser is an integral part of the Celtics’ rotation.

For guys like Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, Summer League will be about existing within the planes of freedom and preparation.

“It has to be a healthy medium of both,” Walsh said at practice. “Of course, when you come here, I don’t have Jayson Tatum on my team, and JB [Jaylen Brown], who I have to get the ball to. So now it’s kind of like, ‘alright, now I can get in my bag a little bit. Late shot clock.’

“But there’s also still like a focus— I still got to show Joe [Mazzulla] and Brad [Stevens] and them that I can play a role that they need me to play next year and hopefully help to win a championship.”

Maine utilized Walsh in a similar manner to Hauser during his first G League season. They wanted to get him used to the way he’d be able to help them in Boston.

“Absolutely. It was definitely a focus in Maine,” Walsh said. “I feel like I kind of took that backseat to be more of a 3-and-D guy. I feel like that’s what Boston wanted for me. I felt like that’s what Blaine wanted. I feel like that’s what my teammates needed.

“So, that’s what I had to do. Obviously, Summer League [last year], I was trying to prove myself. So, I had a healthy bit of both.”

The now-former rookie played 27 games in Maine last season. He averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 42.8% from the field and 32.1% from beyond the three-point arc.

Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Like Walsh, Scheierman is likely poised to spend most of his rookie season up in Portland. But the 23-year-old is ready to do anything the organization asks of him. And that starts now.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely a balance for sure, like Jordan said,” Scheierman said. “We don’t have Jayson or Jaylen or Jrue [Holiday] or them here, so it’s a little different. But at the same time, trying to focus on areas that you know will contribute to the actual team is a big focus for me for sure.”

Boston has built up their roster by meticulously trading for high-level supporting pieces that fit next to their star duo, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis. But simultaneously, they’ve been forced to build on the fringes.

They drafted and developed Payton Pritchard. They discovered Hauser in free agency and helped him grow into the player he is today. They invested their time into making Luke Kornet a solid backup big man.

Having Walsh and Scheierman in the pipeline is key, and not only will Summer League be a chance for guys like them to show off their best skills, but it will also give them an opportunity to play the way they would in Boston.