Early in the R-rated 2010 buddy cop film The Other Guys, Mark Wahlberg’s character, detective Terry Hoitz, explodes with anger, hating the fact that he’s constantly on the sidelines of every major case.
“You can’t keep me cooped up in here, okay? I am a peacock, you’ve got to let me fly,” he exclaims before kicking a water cooler.
Now, peacocks can technically fly, albeit not for very long, but the point is this: opportunity can allow for something interesting, unexpected and even beautiful to reveal itself.
The wing rotation at the top of the lineup is mostly set in stone for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown starts and closes, and Sam Hauser, whether he starts or not, is a guaranteed 20+ minutes on the floor.
But what about the other guys? 22-year-old newcomer Josh Minott, third-year 21-year-old Jordan Walsh, and second-year 24-year-old Baylor Scheierman all stand to gain serious opportunities that have sprouted from the mass exodus of rotation players that Boston has endured over the summer.
First round rookie Hugo Gonzalez is also an option, but as we’ve seen and heard about Joe Mazzulla and his staff’s trust in rookies in non-garbage time minutes has been hard to come by. With three older wings vying for minutes, it’s safe to assume, at least early in the season, that he’ll be farther down in the pecking order.
None of the three “older” wings strike me as cooler-kicking tantrum throwers like Terry Hoitz, but all three share the common feeling that, for the first time in their respective NBA careers, opportunity has come knocking, and real, consistent minutes are there for the taking.
With each option comes a different skillset, each possessing promising strengths and areas of improvement. Let’s take a look at each player’s best qualities, what they need to prove with their time on the floor, and for the fun of it, observe lineup combinations that could best utilize their respective skillsets.
Strangely, even as a second-year pro with 30 games less than Walsh and 62 less than Minott, Baylor Scheierman is sort of the big brother of the group. Scheierman turns 25 this month, making him three years older than Minott and four years older than Walsh.
Of the three players, Scheierman has shown the most in his limited NBA action. Sure, his college career shooting efficiency of 39% from beyond the arc has yet to translate – most recently following up his 32% 3-point shooting as a rookie with 20% shooting in this year’s Summer League – but his ability to create shots for himself and others has been a highlight to this point.
Scheierman’s instincts as a playmaker come from quick reads and a keen awareness of the gravity of those around him. A lot of his best passes came as a response to a defense’s rotation or a collapsed paint that was set up by a lineup loaded with scoring threats. This season will require significantly more initiation from Scheierman, and as Michael Spooner (aka Wayne Spooney) pointed out in his Summer League reflections, we’re already seeing the gears in motion to that next step.
Whether he can hold up defensively is another story. Scheierman doesn’t possesses great lateral quickness or screen navigation instincts. In Summer League play, he made it a habit of gambling with his swipes at the ball, leading to numerous blow-bys and paint attacks. It’s vital that his shooting numbers trend up with higher volume, but it’s how he holds his own on defense that could make or break his spot in the rotation.
That ability to handle the ball and impact the game as a shooter or distributor makes the 6-foot-6 Scheierman a unique fit in a variety of lineup combinations. Below, he acts as more of a large shooting guard opposite Pritchard, while Hauser plays the part of the more traditional off-ball wing with a power forward/center pairing in Boucher and Garza. It’s a lineup option where two players that work well moving off screens have two bigs to utilize in those off-ball actions with a guard that works well as a facilitator and pick-and-roll creator.
As an older prospect out of the gate, Scheierman didn’t receive quite the same level of patience as Walsh or Minott, and understandably so, but as a rookie he showed he was far enough along to use his late-season opportunities as a launch pad for what could be a greater role in Year 2.
Biggest Selling Point: Scoring creation
The Prove-It Point: On-ball defense
A lineup for your consideration: Pritchard/Scheierman/Hauser/Boucher/Garza
Jordan Walsh has attempted 25 shots in the restricted area in his NBA career (regular season and playoffs). That’s not a very large sample. But in that sample, the eye test has shown an acrobatic quality that, when combined with confidence as a slasher, can be very easy to buy into.
This year’s Summer League performance may have won some people over, or even brought others back into the camp of Walsh truthers. He was confident shooting off the dribble, flashing his intriguing highlight ability and bringing a tenacity to the floor that potentially hints at a future as an NBA heel.
But Walsh, entering the third year of a four-year rookie contract that includes a club option in 2026, has more known than unknown in his game at this point. We’ve seen spurts of scoring confidence, defensive versatility and plus rebounding in his brief on-court samples, but we’ve also seen unreliable open shooting, passive offense and defensive possessions where he’s overwhelmed by more established players.
Walsh is the ultimate hypothetical in this group, a true mystery box player that’s no longer a prospect but someone that has to show the organization right now that he’s worth more than just a roster spot and a seat deep on the bench.
He can be the kind of two-way talent that cracks the rotation and establishes himself as a Celtic beyond this season, but he could also be just another second round throw at the dartboard. Walsh was an extremely raw, low-stakes selection for a team that didn’t have a ton of room for growth beyond G-League opportunities. In Year 3, there certainly is room for minutes, and a chance for Walsh to show that his confidence in Summer League was more than just a flash in the pan.
With an opportunity this year, I’d like to see a lineup that utilizes Walsh’s 7-foot-3 wingspan at the small forward spot. Give me two shot creators like Anfernee Simons and Derrick White to allow him to space out to the corners and attack as a cutter, while on defense, he pairs with White and Xavier Tillman as switch defenders that keep Neemias Queta near the rim. Assuming we see more switch-reliant lineups with a lone big man, Walsh could also find himself used as an undersized power forward that serves as a secondary rim protector.
Biggest Selling Point: Rim finishing
The Prove-It Point: Off-the-dribble shooting
A lineup for your consideration: Simons/White/Walsh/Tillman/Queta
Josh Minott’s story is not horribly far off from Walsh’s. In three seasons with the Wolves, Minott appeared in 93 regular season games, earning some opportunities at legitimate rotation minutes but ultimately being buried on the bench on a team that had plenty of options.
Last year, issues with 3-point consistency and off-ball defense hurt Minott’s chances at a larger role, one that he sought out this summer by asking the Timberwolves to decline his contract option. He found that exact opportunity in Boston, getting a two-year deal with a club option. With Jayson Tatum’s eventual return leading to a shrink in minutes at that position, it makes this season a very real make-or-break opportunity for Minott’s chances at being a rotation player.
Minott’s tendency to lose the backdoor cut was an issue in limited minutes last year, but his overall defensive potential thanks to his near 7-foot wingspan and plus athleticism makes him a clear fit for wing-heavy lineups. Minott, like Walsh, has the reach and quickness to act as a secondary rim protector and quality help defender, while still being a perimeter switcher who can be tasked with guarding creative scoring threats.
A three-wing lineup with a lead guard and a defensive anchor could utilize that defensive potential. Below I use an example with Minott at the 4 surrounded by Brown and Hauser as the additional wings, while White handles lead guard responsibilities and Queta serves as the 5. A combination of White and Minott in any capacity has the potential for positive defensive impact. In this case, it aids the lone drop big in Queta, who would have three forwards and an elite defensive guard to navigate and pursue around screens.
An interesting note on Minott is his shooting confidence at this stage in his career. While he shot just 33% on his 43 3-pointers last season, he mentioned at Minnesota’s media day that a missed shot was no longer a blow to his confidence.
“I don’t even care about missing anymore,” he said. “It’s not something I fear. I used to fear, oh if I miss this shot then this domino effect happens and I’m going to hurt the team. Now every time I shoot the ball it’s going to be two things: I’m going to make it or miss it.”
Minott has attempted two or more 3-pointers in a game just 10 times in his NBA career, and in the 2023-24 G-League season, his last at that level, he shot 27% on 3.7 attempts in a 12-game sample.
Minott’s move to Boston makes a ton of sense for a 22-year-old that’s spent the bulk of his career on the bench. He will still find himself coming off the bench in this situation, but he’s closer than he’s ever been to a consistent rotation spot entering this season. With a larger sample, we’ll get a clearer look at his shooting efficiency and defensive impact.
Biggest Selling Point: Defensive versatility
The Prove-It Point: 3-point consistency
A lineup for your consideration: White/Brown/Hauser/Minott/Queta
Who are you expecting to emerge from the crowd? What lineups make sense to you? Comment below and let us know.
