In the first round of the 2024 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics selected Baylor Scheierman with the 30th pick. He led Creighton University to two runs in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, going as far as the Elite Eight. After making a name for himself on a talented Blue Jays squad, Scheierman finds himself on the reigning NBA championship roster. But as we get closer to the 2024-25 NBA season, it will be interesting to see where a late first-round pick can find a contributing role on the Boston Celtics.
Celtics Offseason
This offseason, coming off a championship win, the Boston Celtics focused on retaining their integral players for the long term. The Celtics gave contract extensions to Derrick White and Sam Hauser. With Derrick White’s four-year extension, the Celtics have their lineup of White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis all locked up through 2025-26. Sam Hauser’s extension has him under contract until 2029-30. And his fellow three-point specialist, Payton Pritchard, is under contract through 2027-28.
The only real loss the Celtics suffered this offseason was Svi Mykhailiuk, who signed a four-year, $15 million deal with the Utah Jazz. But the Celtics also made a recent addition, bringing in Lonnie Walker IV on a one-year deal. Walker is a guard who was strong contributor to the Los Angeles Lakers last season. He will likely receive minutes off the bench along with Pritchard and Hauser.
Baylor Scheierman’s Role
Scheierman is stepping into an interesting spot on the Boston Celtics. Drafted at the bottom of the first round, he will not enter the league with the expectations of a lottery pick. However, he is entering the league at 23 years old, which would classify him as an older rookie by NBA standards.
As a guard, he likely won’t start over Derrick White or Jrue Holiday, and off the bench, he will be competing with Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Lonnie Walker IV for minutes. Pritchard and Hauser both got consistent playing time during the Celtics playoff run, and as previously stated, Sam Hauser just signed an extension. Walker, on the other hand, has proven himself as a solid role player who can come off the bench and contribute in certain situations.
If he does not get playing time during his rookie season, Scheierman would not be the only one. When looking at the Celtics first-round draft picks in recent years, there are not many that have stuck around and found significant roles on the team. In 2019, the Celtics drafted Romeo Langford with the 14th pick, who barely played and was part of the trade to acquire Derrick White.
In 2020, the Celtics had the 14th pick again, and selected Aaron Nesmith. On the Celtics, Nesmith never got the significant minutes he desired, and perhaps deserved. When he signed with the Pacers after his rookie contract expired, Nesmith became a starter against Boston in the 2023-24 Eastern Conference Finals.
Of course, there are also players like Payton Pritchard, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams, who were drafted in the first-round by the Celtics and found roles on the team during their tenure. And there are the team’s star players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both drafted by Boston.
What to Expect from Baylor Scheierman
So far, the closest to NBA basketball gameplay from Scheierman has been in the NBA Summer League. He had 12 points in a game against the Charlotte Hornets, shooting 3-10 from the field and 1-8 from three, with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. At Creighton, Baylor shot 38.1% from the three-point line in his senior year, and if that efficiency can translate to the NBA, he will get playing time anywhere.
One of the aspects about three-point shooting that has been preached by Celtics Coach Joe Mazzula is distribution. In the 2023-24 season, the Celtics made more threes than anyone, and that volume shooting will likely continue. So, it is better to have more players capable of making those three-point shots. If one shooter goes cold, another can be slotted in. This could be a time where Baylor gets in the rotation.
Final Thoughts
Baylor Scheierman is a player that Boston Celtics fans should be excited for. He had a stellar and entertaining college career, making Creighton one of the highlights of March Madness. Whether he gets time in the rotation right away or goes up and down from the G-League, like Jordan Walsh in the 2023-24 season, Scheierman will be a player to keep an eye on, among the many stars of the Boston Celtics.
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