The Boston Celtics‘ success this season can be attributed to the tenacity of their role players. While Jaylen Brown‘s MVP-caliber performance has undoubtedly been vital, Derrick White noted that players like Baylor Scheierman have really set the tone for Boston’s toughness.
During a recent episode of the “White Noise Podcast,” Derrick White shed light on Baylor Scheierman’s durability and resolve to play after suffering a thumb injury.
“He’s struggling to put his socks on, but he’s going out there and doing a lot of good things for us,” White stated.
Scheierman suffered the injury during the Celtics’ game against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 28. Despite having a broken thumb, the guard has been regularly available, playing a key role on both ends of the floor and contributing to winning.
Derrick White even spoke about Scheierman’s thumbs-up celebration earlier in the podcast, revealing that he suggested the guard do it after every three-pointer made.
“We were talking before the game about it,” White recalled. “I’m like, ‘You have to just do a thumbs up.’ You hit a three, you have to do a thumbs up. Because he’s the one who thought of like JT’s [Tatum] wrist one. People were talking about Jrue’s [Holiday] when he broke his pinky. So I was like you just have to do a thumbs up.”
“I’m like, ‘You hit the greatest threes. You could just hold the thumbs up till the end of the half. Then, when he put the thumbs up knucks, that was hilarious.”
In the six games since suffering the injury, Boston has notched a 4-2 record. Given that Scheierman was in the starting lineup for three of those games, it can be said that he has proven himself capable.
A 12-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers immediately after breaking his thumb was certainly impressive. However, his 16-point outburst (6-8 FG, 4-6 3PT) against the Cleveland Cavaliers to help Boston secure a 109-98 win on the road may be considered even more noteworthy.
For the 2025-26 season, Scheierman is averaging 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game on 46.2% shooting from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. But since breaking his thumb, the 25-year-old is posting 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds on 53.7% shooting from the field and 42.9% from three-point range.
Baylor Scheierman, like Derrick White, embodies Boston’s culture and resilience. Even after losing several key players in the offseason and facing insurmountable odds heading into the new campaign, the Celtics rose above and asserted themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA.
Currently ranked second in the East (43-22), the Celtics appear to be a legitimate threat to the top-ranked Detroit Pistons. Now, with Jayson Tatum back in the fray, Boston has a real shot at contending for the title, too.
