The Boston Celtics don’t have a while lot of needs. Just eight days after winning the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Boston went to work on next year.
With the 30th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Celtics selected Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, a sharp-shooting guard. Seeing any time on the floor during the 2024-2025 season will be a challenge for Scheierman because of Boston’s depth, but that won’t stop him from doing what he can do to make some type of impact. Here is a closer look at Boston’s newcomer.
Baylor Scheierman Said the Celtics Like the Ways He Can Impact a Game
The Celtics have had their eyes on Scheierman for a couple of years. Scheierman, who started his college career by playing three years at South Dakota State, actually declared for the NBA Draft following his junior season in 2022 but withdrew weeks later. He transferred to Creighton and averaged 12.8 points and shot 52.5% from the floor. Eligibile for a fifth year, Scheierman returned to Creighton for a second season and put up 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds as a 6-foot-6 guard.
A left-hander, Scheierman opened the eyes of the Celtics with his various ways of impacting the game.
“The first time coming through was a couple of years ago, and they really liked my game,” Scheierman said of the Celtics, per NBC Sports Boston. “Just my ability to kind of impact the game in different ways, whether that be shooting, passing, dribbling, my IQ. They felt like I could get a little stronger, a little quicker, a little more explosive a couple of years ago. That’s kind of what I tried to improve on.”
Scheierman attended Aurora High School in Aurora, Nebraska, and excelled in basketball and football. As a high school quarterback, he threw for a state-record 59 touchdowns as a senior, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
In his three seasons at South Dakota State, he averaged 12.4 points and 7.1 rebounds
Scheierman Is Up for the Challenge of NBA Life
Making an NBA roster as a rookie is tough enough. It’s even tougher when you’re trying to make a team that has nearly everyone returning after a championship season. That’s the situation Scheierman faces.
The Celtics are expected to extend Jayson Tatum and Derrick White. Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown are already locked up for the next few seasons.
It can be viewed that Scheierman is insurance in case sharp-shooting reserve Sam Hauser leaves town. He has a team option heading into next season. Celtics President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, wouldn’t get into specifics about what the team is thinking of doing with Hauser.
“I would just say I’m not going to get into particulars of what decisions we’ll make with each guy,” Stevens told reporters. “I will say we want Hauser to be here for a long time.”
There’s nothing Scheierman can do except be ready if his name is ever called. He insists he will be good to go.
“I’m a hard worker,” he said. “I like to work, I like to compete, and I like to just impact the game any way I can. I like to impact winning, whether that’s diving on the floor, making threes or blocking shots, whatever that might be.”
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