While Baylor Scheierman impressed throughout his college career to become a first-round pick, his first taste of the NBA has been tough. He had an up-and-down Summer League, though he showed flashes of why the C’s picked him 30th overall in the draft this summer.
But in five preseason games, Scheierman struggled to pick up the speed of the game as he struggled in game action. Sam Hauser — who has taken the rookie under his wing — give his advice for the 24-year-old forward.
“Those five games were his first NBA experience,” Hauser said. “It’s hard to really have expectations on anybody in that situation. That’s a tough spot to be in. I’m sure for himself he has high expectations. I try to remember my first preseason — I don’t think I played that well. So I keep trying to tell him to stay aggressive, keep shooting.
“I’ve been helping him out whenever he has questions and things like that. But he’s a great player and he’s going to do well, and I’m excited to see what he can bring to the table this year.”
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Scheierman played in all five Celtics preseason games, averaging 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He only shot 16.7% from the field and 17.6% on 3-pointers as the shot wasn‘t falling. At this point, Scheierman has more to work on as he tries to find his footing in the NBA as a rookie.
It was always going to be an uphill battle to earn any consistent playing time on the Celtics — that‘s the case for all the depth guys. So, Scheierman will likely see some stints with the G League Maine Celtics this season so he can get some playing time in actual games. But there‘s a reason the C’s selected him in the first round as they hope he can develop into a contributor down the line.
Fortunately, there‘s no rush for Scheierman as he begins his NBA career. It doesn‘t always click for rookies immediately, and it doesn’t make sense to call it a career after a five-game sample size. So he’ll look to adjust his game to NBA speed going forward as he also has some veterans like Hauser who has recently been in a similar situation in the league just trying to find a role.
“It’s a weird spot to be in,” Hauser said. “I think at first I was just trying to find my footing and didn’t necessarily feel like I fit right away, but I was going to try to put my best foot forward and try to show and prove to myself that I did belong. And I think with time and with all the work I put in I proved that to myself and others in the building as well. It doesn’t always happen right away for a lot of players.”
