Celtics Mailbag: Will Boston pick up Baylor Scheierman contract option?

The Celtics season got off to a dramatic start on Wednesday night with a tough finish against the 76ers. How Joe Mazzulla manages this new-look group through a challenging stretch will be telling amid a tough upcoming schedule. Let’s talk a bit about the present and future in this week’s mailbag. Send all future questions to brobb@masslive.com

Brian,

I think everyone is underestimating how quickly Tatum might come back. We know three things: 1) he wants to come back this season 2) he wants to do it at a home game 3) he said that he has a date in mind. Let’s infer what that date is from what we know of Tatum. Kobe Bryant was his idol growing up. Bryant came back 240 days after tearing his Achilles. I would imagine Tatum wants to match or exceed that. If so, Boston vs. Denver January 7th exactly matches how quickly Kobe came back, from injury to first game. That’s my guess on the date he circled.

What’s yours?

Sean

I lean towards a date in March as a realistic target in Tatum’s mind. That’s the initial target that Tatum’s father told Marc Spears about when the surgery happened and falls in line with where he currently is for his rehab.

There are multiple guys across numerous sports (including Kobe) that have come back far earlier but none have looked the same after their speedy return. Bryant was far past his prime when he came back. Wyc Grousbeck’s comments this week kind of signify where the team is at with his recovery. There is no expectation for him to return and if he’s ready, they are going to want a host of doctors to sign off on it. Even then, the Celtics’ spot in the East standings could have some influence on whether or not he suits up after he’s cleared. If Boston isn’t playing for much in March, perhaps he wants to get the rust off today but there would be little incentive to play beyond that.

Ultimately, this becomes a potential storyline for the second half of the season but we are still a ways away from it being a possibility in my mind.

I’ve always been worried about Prichard’s impact long term if he can’t anthem those deep shots he loves, do you think Joe gives him a longer leash than others because of the little things he does, felt like him being on the court at the end was because of cache vs how he played — Peace

Pritchard has certainly done enough in the last two years to earn a spot on the court in crunch time. Heck, he was even getting a chance in spot opportunities over Jrue Holiday last year in those moments during certain spots of the regular season.

Not sure who exactly you would want on the floor over him on Wednesday night in those moments. Can totally see you wanting the ball to go elsewhere (Brown, White, Simons) based on the shooting night Pritchard was having from the perimeter but he’s clearly earned the trust of Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff over the past two years. Part of the development process for this season will be figuring out whether Pritchard is a viable starter longterm for this team when they are back in a spot to contend. He may get a longer leash this year at points because of that but ultimately he’s pretty clearly one of the best five players on this roster right today even on down nights.

I’m receiving conflicting reports. First, I hear that the second apron is only for this year, but then I hear it could be in place for two years. Is that true? — Bobby R

The Celtics were over the second apron for the last two seasons and they are back under it this year. The guess here is the Celtics will stay under the second apron either until they reset the repeater tax or they unfreeze their draft pick in 2033 (so staying under it three of the next four seasons).

Giving the ball to Pritchard at the end with the game on the line is criminal. Joe should be arrested. — 1080

Let’s calm down here. Pritchard actually got a decent look at the rim and Xavier Tillman also missed a bunny of a putback. Pritchard certainly wasn’t the primary option on that play but he tried to make something happen against a Sixers defense with no real rim protection. Missed a couple potential sickouts in that spot but he’ll be ready for those next time.

Will Celtics pick up Baylor’s option at the end of the month? — Paul D.

The guess here is yes, although it was noteworthy that Scheierman was a DNP-CD in the opener alongside fellow young wings Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez. Joe Mazzulla sent Gonzalez to the scorer’s table at one point but pulled him back after a couple of minutes went by without a stoppage.

That development is not a great sign for Scheierman’s standing in the Celtics rotation since Gonzalez would have been the 11th player to enter the game last night. It’s not a great sign for Scheierman if he’s already behind Gonzalez in the rotation. With that said, the second-year forward does have a very team friendly contract since his option for next season is only worth $2.9 million, which is just a bit over the veteran’s minimum for the No. 30 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Every dollar matters for a Celtics team that is projected to be over the luxury tax (and into the repeater tax) next season but Scheierman showed enough potential last season where I think the Celtics roll the dice on his development. The bigger question comes next fall when his option number jumps up to $4.9 million in the final year of his rookie offer. If it was that high for next season, I think the Celtics would decline it but Scheierman has a season today to show Brad Stevens that he’s worth it.

Reports say that the C’s would like to get under the tax this year AND next year to avoid the repeater tax. If that’s the case, what would team building look like next season when Tatum comes back? They really don’t look like contenders with these centers and bench. — Frank S

Yeah, how ownership and the front office handle that choice is the biggest subplot of the offseason. On the one hand, getting out of the repeater tax today could go a long way towards allocating some of those cost savings into some bigger spending on contenders in the end of this decade while also opening up some roster flexibility with trades, mid-level exception, etc.

On the other hand, staying out of the tax next season would essentially be punting on contending during a year of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s prime. Those guys would compete but it’s hard to envision Boston being able to put together a viable threat in the East without spending more to that group since they already have $185 million committed to nine players for next year. The Celtics could potentially add a good draft pick to that mix (depending on how this year goes) but they would have to choose between finding a affordable big or retaining Simons in that scenario. Perhaps if a few diamonds in the rough (Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez) emerge this year, this becomes a more plausible path to compete but it would be more bargain basement hunting next summer if staying under the tax ends up being a goal.