For the first time since taking over as Boston Celtics' President of Basketball Operations in 2021, Brad Stevens made a first-round selection in the NBA Draft, selecting wing Baylor Scheierman from Creighton.
The Third-Team All-American started all 35 games for the Bluejays, leading the team in points (18.5) and rebounds (9.0), earning him unanimous First-Team All-Big East honors. The Nebraska native helped Creighton achieve a 25-10 record and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Here are five things you need to know about Boston’s first first-round pick since Payton Pritchard:
He can shoot the lights out
Joe Mazzulla likes three-pointers, and Scheierman makes a lot of them.
Scheierman is one of the best three-point shooters in the draft. The lefty sharp-shooter knocked down a triple in 48 consecutive games while at Creighton and made at least five in seven games last season.
Throughout his collegiate career, Scheierman knocked down 39.0% of his three-point attempts, including 43.8% on 5.7 attempts per game in his sophomore season and 46.9% on 5.1 attempts in his junior season.
In his final season at Creighton, he shot 38.1% from distance on 8.3 attempts per game.
He is not just a shooter
While Scheierman’s shooting prowess is the most intriguing part of his game, the 6-foot-6, 201-pound wing can do a little bit of everything. In fact, he is the only men’s player in Division I history with at least 2,000 points (2,233), 1,000 rebounds (1,256), 500 assists (580), and 300 three-pointers (356).
Last season, his 16 double-doubles led the Big East.
Although there is room for improvement on the defensive end, especially at the next level, where he will face bigger, stronger, and faster players, Scheierman is a floor-spacer, crashes the boards, and moves the ball well. He has a versatile offensive skill set and can make a difference on the boards. Over the last 25 seasons, no player has more defensive rebounds than Scheierman (1,140).
He is also an underrated playmaker, ranking 10th in the Big East in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
He is on the older side of draft prospects
Scheierman is one of the oldest players in the draft, as he will turn 24 by the start of the season. Surprisingly, he is only two and a half years younger than Jayson Tatum, who is entering his eighth professional season.
As a fifth-year senior, Scheierman spent three seasons at South Dakota State before finishing his collegiate career at Creighton. His extensive experience and basketball IQ could be a significant advantage, as he will likely be more prepared for the NBA than many of his peers.
He led his high school to a state championship as a Quarterback
If reaching the NBA isn’t enough to cement his status as a legend in his small town of Aurora, Nebraska, with a population under 5,000, his achievements on the gridiron as a quarterback certainly do.
As Aurora’s starting quarterback during his senior year, Scheierman threw for nearly 4,000 yards and a state-record 59 touchdowns while rushing for another eight touchdowns, leading his team to the Nebraska State Class C1 Football title.
His first car was a minivan
If the rookie needs an icebreaker with his new head coach, Joe Mazzulla, he can bring up the minivan.
Earlier this spring, Mazzulla revealed that he still drives a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan with 90,000 miles on it, nicknamed “Free Willy” because his favorite animals are orcas.
While it’s unclear if Scheierman still drives a minivan, he has a great conversation starter with his new coach.
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