Celtics’ Baylor Scheierman shares which icon he drew inspiration from after impressive playmaking in Summer League opener
Scheierman had six assists in the Celtics' loss to the Heat on Saturday.
Baylor Scheierman displayed a bit of his highly touted shooting ability in the Celtics’ Summer League opener on Saturday, but it was his playmaking that seemed to impress the most.
While the Celtics rookie wing put up 13 points in their 119-114 loss to the Heat on Saturday, he dished out six assists and only had a turnover. Most of his assists were finding open players along the perimeter or cutting the rim, but he had a pair of standout passes.
First, Scheierman perfectly placed a ball for fellow rookie Anton Watson in transition, allowing the forward to get a layup on a fastbreak in the third quarter. A bit later, Scheierman was initially going to shoot after getting a pick from center Neeimas Queta. Instead, he threaded a pass back to the center while he was rolling to the rim to pick up another assist.
As Scheierman’s shooting ability was viewed as his top trait coming out of Creighton, his passing ability was often overlooked. He averaged 3.6 assists per game over his college career, a solid number for a non-point guard.
Many have pointed to Scheierman’s days as an impressive high school quarterback in Nebraska as a reason for his passing ability. Following Saturday’s win, Scheierman said his playmaking is actually inspired by a basketball legend.
“It kind of started when I was really young, watching Pistol Pete growing up, he was throwing all those flashy passes,” Scheierman told reporters, referring to Basketball Hall of Famer Pete Maravich. “I tried to emulate that when I was super young. As I continued to grow and develop, it kind of just stayed a part of my game. Going in with whoever I’m playing with, I’m looking to get my teammates involved, get them open shots, and make them feel good.”
Maravich is widely viewed as one of the best guards in basketball history. His shooting ability was top-notch, averaging 24.2 points per game in his NBA career after setting the career record for scoring in college. But his passing was also impressive, averaging 5.4 assists per game in his career.
While Scheierman drew inspiration from Maravich, he said he’s tried to translate some of his passing ability from the gridiron to the court.
“A lot of people knew that I was a quarterback beforehand. A lot of times, that’s the first thing announcers say in the game, ‘Baylor Scheierman was a quarterback,'” Scheierman said. “So, I think it definitely helps with my vision. It feels pretty good out there. I like getting my teammates involved.
Scheierman sounds like he also has a quarterback’s mindset as well.
“I’ve said it multiple times, but 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.”
As for his shooting, Scheierman made 4 of 9 shots from the field and 3 of 7 shots from distance. He heated up as the game went along, making all three of his 3-pointers in the first half.
To make up for his brief shooting struggles early on, Scheierman crashed the boards. He had five rebounds on Saturday, including three offensive rebounds in the first half.
Scheierman said that getting offensive rebounds was something he wanted to improve on in Summer League.
“That’s a big point of emphasis, especially for me, trying to impact the game any way I can,” Scheierman said. “In college, I was a pretty good defensive rebounder, but didn’t really get any offensive rebounds. That’s something that I’m trying to put an emphasis on, is just crashing the offensive glass as well.”
That aggressive mindset was appreciated by Celtics Summer League coach D.J. MacLeay.
“I thought he was pretty aggressive, which is good,” MacLeay told reporters. “There were some things that we can all clean up, so continue to get better there. But he played a good game.
“I think for his first NBA type of action, he was aggressive, he shot the shots we wanted him to shoot for the most part, and he was intentional behind his play.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com