Celtics pick Creighton guard with 30th pick in NBA Draft

BOSTON -- The defending champion Boston Celtics drafted Creighton sharpshooter Baylor Scheierman with the 30th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. It was the first time the Celtics have drafted a player in the first round since 2020.

Scheierman led the Bluejays with 18.5 points off 45 percent shooting and 9.0 rebounds per game last season, which earned him All-Big East First Team honors. He helped lead the Bluejays to the Sweet 16 in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Scheierman played five seasons of college ball, and spent his first three seasons at San Diego State.

Scheierman has a nice touch from downtown

The lefty will turn 24 in September, and has some good size at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, which helped him create his own shots at the college level. He made at least one three in 48 straight games for the Bluejays, and shot 39 percent from downtown for his career.

He shot a career-best 47 percent from three-point range off 5.1 attempts per game in 2021-22 for the Jackrabbits.

A third-team All American by the Associated Press, Scheierman is the first Division I player to log at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 three-pointers in their career.

Will Scheierman make an impact on the 2024-25 Celtics?

There are some questions about his athleticism and how his defense will translate to the NBA, but he'll have time to develop in Boston while potentially adding some shooting off the bench at some point next season. Brad Stevens said earlier this week that it would be tough for any rookie to crack the team's rotation in 2024-25, and the Celtics have plenty of wings with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Sam Hauser, who has a team option for next season.

This marks the first time that Stevens has made a first-round pick since becoming Boston's president of basketball ops. in 2021. The Celtics also own the 54th pick in the second round on Thursday.