It’s easy to see why Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens wanted to use the final pick of the first round in Wednesday night’s NBA draft on Creighton standout Baylor Scheierman. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound guard has at least one elite tool and that’s his long-range, lefty shooting stroke. Scheierman was a career 39% shooter […]
It’s easy to see why Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens wanted to use the final pick of the first round in Wednesday night’s NBA draft on Creighton standout Baylor Scheierman.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound guard has at least one elite tool and that’s his long-range, lefty shooting stroke. Scheierman was a career 39% shooter from 3-point range and shot 38.1% from beyond the arc on 8.3 attempts per game this past season. He also possesses a quick release, which will help him get his shot off in the NBA despite average athleticism.
Scheierman averaged 18.5 points per game mainly off of his terrific outside shooting, but that’s not the only thing the Nebraska native can do. He’s also a willing and able rebounder, not to mention a passer, too. He grabbed nine rebounds and dished out 3.9 assists per game in his final season with the Bluejays. His passing ability perhaps can be attributed to being a fantastic high school quarterback as he set a state record with 59 touchdowns as a senior.
In fact, Scheierman became the first play in Division I history with at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 3-pointers in his career. He even became the first player in Creighton’s history to record a triple-double off of points, rebounds and assists.
While it won’t take long to fall in love with Scheierman’s long-range marksmanship, he also has some grittiness to his game, too. He routinely crashes the glass, especially on the defensive end, where hauled in 1,140 boards in his career — the most out of any player in the last 25 seasons.
Scheierman isn’t short on experience, either. The 23-year-old spent three seasons at South Dakota State to begin his college career before playing his final two seasons at Creighton.
Scheierman is unlike the previous two draft picks of the Celtics in Jordan Walsh and J.D. Davison. He’s more of a known commodity and is actually three years older than Walsh and two years Davison’s senior.
Stevens said prior to the draft that it would be hard for anyone they selected at No. 30 overall to crack Boston’s talented and deep roster. But with his stellar shooting, tenacious rebounding and ability to make plays on court, perhaps Scheierman can change Stevens’ mind.
