Game Day Report: Maine Tips Off Season in Long Island

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. - Game Day is finally here as the Maine Celtics tip-off the 2024-25 season on Friday night against the Long Island Nets. Friday's game is the first of a two-game road trip for the Celtics that will conclude on Monday in Delaware.

Maine is looking to build off the most successful season in franchise history in 2023-24 that saw the Celtics won an Eastern Conference title and reached the NBA G League Finals for the first time in team history. The Celtics have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons.

In 2023-24, Maine began the season with an 8-8 record after the Showcase Cup. In the regular season, Maine found its stride and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 21-13 record. Maine's championship run came to an end at the hands of the OKC Blue in Game 3 of the G League Finals.

Friday night's matchup in Long Island will allow Maine Celtics fans to get a first look at Boston's 2024 NBA Draft selections. First-round pick Baylor Scheierman was assigned to Maine this week and will join the team for their first two games of 2024. The 30th pick overall, Scheierman began his collegiate basketball career at South Dakota State, playing three seasons for the Jackrabbits before transferring to Creighton for his final two seasons. Scheierman started all 72 games he appeared in for the Blue Jays, helping Creighton reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2024. The forward posted career-highs of 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in that senior campaign.

Scheierman has appeared in two regular season games for Boston this season. On October 24, he played eight minutes against the Washington Wizards, scoring four points and snagging one rebound. The rookie also played two minutes against Milwaukee on October 28. Scheierman also appeared in three preseason games, scoring a career best eight points against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Fans will also get to see second-round draft pick Anton Watson, who signed a two-way deal with Boston after being selected 54th overall by the Celtics in the 2024 NBA Draft. The rookie out of Gonzaga appeared in five NBA Summer League games with the Celtics, averaging 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Watson is the only player in Gonzaga program history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 200 steals in a career. He helped guide the Bulldogs to four consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Appearances, including a NCAA Division I National Runner-Up Finish in 2020-21.

Maine returns a pair of their two-way players from last season in JD Davison and Drew Peterson. Davison returns for this third season with the Celtics after being named an All-NBA G League Third Team selection in 2024. Davison averaged 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 44 games for Maine last season. Davison set a new franchise mark with 21 double-doubles and also became the franchise's all-time leader in assists.

Peterson returns to Portland for his second season in the Celtics organization after he joined the team midway through 2023-24 in December. In 38 games for Maine, Peterson averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Other returners on the roster from 2023-24 are Donald Carey, Jr. and Jordan Schakel.

Maine is led by first-year head coach Tyler Lashbrook, the tenth head coach in the franchise's history. Lashbrook is also the first coach in team history to retain his title as Assistant Coach for the Boston Celtics, where he has worked in player development.

Long Island finished fifth in the G League Eastern Conference standings with a 19-15 overall record in 2024. The Nets are led by their three, two-way players in Tyrese Martin, Jaylen Martin, and Cui Yongxi.

Tyrese Martin, a 6'6 wing played in the G League last season for the Iowa Wolves. He previously played collegiately at UConn. He appeared in 39 games for the Wolves, averaging 16.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. In 2024, Martin played in four games for the Brooklyn Nets in the preseason where he averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 12.0 minutes. He also averaged 10.8 points per game in the NBA Summer League with the Nets. In 2022-23, Martin appeared in 16 games for the Atlanta Hawks.

Cui joins Long Island after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft after playing two seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Guangzhou Loong Lions. Cui played with Portland in the NBA Summer League before joining Brooklyn this fall. In two professional seasons in China, Cui played 99 career games, averaging 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.9 minutes per game. Cui has played for China in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Jaylen Martin is back in Long Island after appearing in 13 games for the Nets in 2023-24. Martin spent the first half of the season playing for the Westchester Knicks. In 44 total G League Games, Martin averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 23.6 minutes per game.

Other key contributors for the Nets this season include Dariq Whitehead, who also is coming back from injury. Whitehead played 17 games for Long Island last season, averaging 8.8 points and 2.9 rebounds. Patrick Gardner is the only true big man listed on the Nets roster with the forward standing at 6'11. Nobody else from Long Island is taller than 6'9.

Former NBA top-10 draft pick Killian Hayes is also on the roster with the Nets, but the French point guard is currently rehabbing an injury and has missed time during the early part of the season. Hayes has played 210 games in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM EST in Long Island on Friday night. After battling the Nets, Maine will travel to face the Delaware Blue Coats on Monday night at 7:00. The Celtics will return home to Portland on Friday, November 15 for the team's home opener against the Westchester Knicks.