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LAS VEGAS — Baylor Scheierman looks ready. The Boston Celtics drafted him with the 30th pick because they needed an infusion of talent who could step into the rotation soon.
His first task as an NBA player? Guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., the guy who was just giving the Celtics defense fits in the playoffs a few months ago.
“I liked it. I was happy they gave me that assignment,” Scheierman said. “That’s something I enjoy and I’m not going to back down from and I’m going to compete.”
Scheierman, the 23-year-old rookie from Creighton, showed he can do a bit of everything in his summer league debut Saturday. He couldn’t hit any shots to get himself going early, but that was fine. The Celtics didn’t draft Scheierman to be just a floor spacer. They brought in someone who can leave his fingerprints all over the game.
On the Celtics, you’re supposed to be able to crash the glass and push the ball up the floor. Aside from Kristaps Porziņģis, everyone in the rotation can do it. Scheierman showed that’s going to be one of the ways he can earn minutes from the jump, as he had several plays where he soared for a rebound and threw a nice kick-ahead pass to find a teammate leaking out on the break.
“I think for his first NBA type of action, he was aggressive,” Celtics summer league coach DJ MacLeay said. “He shot the shots we wanted him to shoot for the most part, and he was intentional behind his play.”
Scheierman had assists on three consecutive plays in the first quarter, all in different ways. At first, it was backing down his defender to the paint, then waiting for a cutter so he could slip a nifty pass.
Then when an offensive rebound came his way, he carefully scanned the floor until he spotted an open shooter on the weak side. The next possession, he got the defensive rebound, pushed it up the floor and kicked it ahead to Drew Peterson for the finish.
“I’ve said it multiple times that I’d rather get an assist than score a bucket, especially if it’s like a cool pass,” Scheierman said. “I’m always looking for my teammates and trying to get them open shots.”
Scheierman studied Pistol Pete Maravich’s flashy passes growing up. He was a renowned quarterback before pursuing a basketball career, something he noted is always the first fun fact the announcers say when he plays. There were moments in the game when he looked like he was standing up in the pocket, going through his progressions as he searched for the right pass.
But he needs to sink his open 3s, something that wasn’t happening early as he was preoccupied with staying in front of Jaquez. MacLeay said there is plenty to clean up there, but he liked what he saw from the rookie.
There were a few possessions where Scheierman didn’t bite on fakes and stayed low and balanced. But then he would take a risk and swipe for a steal, closing his hips and leaving plenty of room for the ballhandler to leave him in the dust. He’d respond with a few classic summer league fouls, chasing from behind, slapping aimlessly and catching the shooter’s wrist.
“I thought I did a good job keeping him in front of me and making him finish over the top,” Scheierman said. “There were a few plays where I picked up some fouls. I’d like to clean that up. But I think overall, I did what I wanted to.”
Defense won’t be his main job, but it’s half of the game and he won’t see the floor unless he is solid at it. It’s the reason Jaden Springer is on this team, as the 21-year-old has at least shown in his young career that he can be a ball hawk.
MacLeay said when the coaches talk to Springer about his goals, it’s to turn his defensive ball pressure into his calling card.
“The ball pressure, it’s unique,” MacLeay said. “It’s something special that most people don’t (have).”
On offense, it’s to make the right decisions quickly and be able to reliably knock shots down. When he gets into NBA games, often in garbage time, he looks like the most rushed player on the court. On Saturday, he was able to keep himself steady even when he was playing at high speed.
This bucket by Jaden tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/qT3JJcTVs4
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 14, 2024
Springer entered the NBA as a teenager, trying to break in with a vet-laden 76ers team that was making deep playoff runs. He made it a point to hold himself to the same standards as his teammates, even if he had a lot of growing to do to reach their level.
“I’ve been hearing that a lot since I came into the league, being young. I tried to throw that out the window,” Springer said. “Once you step into this league, it’s a grown man’s league. I try to just throw away my age and just feel like I’m one of them.”
Late in his rookie season, he started to listen to his vets and coaches who were feeding him that message. They told him it’s a grown man’s league. That if he wants to play, he’s got to take minutes from those guys. Their message was to show that dog.
It’s why Springer made it a point to tell his coaches that he is thankful for them.
“It seems like they really believe in me,” Springer said. “Just having them on my side every day working with them, that’s a big boost of confidence for me.”
(Photo: David Dow / NBAE via Getty Images)
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Courtesy : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5636020/2024/07/14/celtics-baylor-scheierman-nba-summer-league/