Beyond the Slump, Scheierman is Thriving

The Boston Celtics sophomore is more than a shooter

With one eye on next season, I came into Summer League hoping to see some encouraging signs from Baylor Scheierman. Out of all the prospects available to the Celtics, he’s the one who figures to have a chance of making the primary rotation next season.

We can talk about Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams all we want — Scheierman was the guy impressing in his role toward the end of the 2024-25 regular season.

With a full year of NBA-level development under his belt, the hope was that he would crush his opportunity to shine. And, in many ways, he has. The problem is that in the one way most people recognize as a sign of progress, he’s struggled: scoring.

Despite taking an average of 15.5 shot attempts over his four games in Sin City, the sophomore forward is averaging just 27.4% from the field. That number starts to look worse when you look at his perimeter-based attempts, of which there are 9.8 per night on average. When both his feet are behind the 3-point line, Scheierman is hitting just 20.5% of his attempts.

Not ideal for a player who entered the league with a reputation as a shooting specialist. Not ideal at all.

The good news is, we’re talking about a four-game sample size. If this were the regular season, we’d be brushing it off as a slow start. And that’s exactly what I’m going to be doing with his Summer League shooting…It’s nothing more than an ill-timed slump.

"Obviously, it's tough when you have a stretch like this, where you're not shooting it to the levels that you know you can shoot it, [but] at the same time, we're winning and I'm impacting winning in a positive way,” Scheierman said in his postgame media availability. “My coaches and my teammates are encouraging me to keep shooting, and I’m not going to turn down open shots.”

I would be more worried if Scheierman wasn’t making an impact in other areas of the game. If he were nothing but a net negative on the court. Maybe then, a conversation surrounding his viability in Mazzulla’s rotation next season would be worthwhile.

Fortunately, that’s not the case.

Out of every Summer League player to play in 4 or more Summer League games, Scheierman ranks 2nd in assists, dropping an average of 6.8 dimes per outing. Even better than that? He’s only turning the ball over 1.8 times per game. Scheierman can pass the heck out of the ball. He can create for others at a high level, and is proving that when his shot isn’t falling, he can still help get points up on the board.

“You just try to make other plays to impact the game," Scheierman said. "I felt like I did that. My rebounding, my passing, and [my] defensive activity.

Plays like this one have been a consistent sight from Scheierman. More encouragingly, that is the type of play Mazzulla will want to see next season, a simple drive-and-kick to an open shooter in the corner.

What I liked most in the clip above is how Scheierman read the defense. He spotted Max Shulga’s man preparing to hedge off the screen, which would have killed the action. As such, Scheierman rejected the screen and drove into the paint, drawing the attention of three defenders. Walsh had cut baseline, giving Scheierman a legitimate target in the weakside corner.

A quick kick-out ensured that New York’s defense would be scrambling on the close-out, giving Walsh enough time to set his feet, find his line of sight, and let the rock fly.

Here’s another example of Scheierman finding success as a playmaker in an action that will undoubtedly translate to the NBA. This time, the Celtics are using Scheierman as the hand-off receiver in a zoom action — arguably the most common action in the NBA.

Rather than trying to immediately turn the corner after receiving the hand-off, Scheierman drags out his dribble. That decision works on two levels:

1. It gives Charles Bassey time to roll toward the rim, which you can see him calling for the lob in the clip

2. It gives Scheierman a better passing angle as he looks to drive in from the slot.

By dragging out his dribble, Scheierman manipulates the big defender, removing the tag, and getting the Memphis Grizzlies defense to worry about the shooters on the strong side. From there, the lob is an easy choice, with limited resistance.

NBA-level decision-making. NBA-level execution.

Easy to gloss over.

Playmaking hasn’t been the only positive attribute Scheierman has displayed, either. He’s also shown his value as a rebounder, which, without Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, will be in high demand next season.

The Creighton product is averaging 5.3 boards per game. His rebounding was something that stood out during his collegiate career, and while it’s unlikely he’s going to dominate on the glass, it’s fair to expect him to chip in with 3 or 4 boards a game, assuming he gets ample playing time.

Strong, two-handed boards like this one, with sound fundamentals, are what will ensure Scheierman can keep teams to a one-possession offense a few times per game.

Scheierman will undoubtedly be displeased with his scoring performances over the past week or so. This was a chance for him to showcase the full range of his skills and to get Celtics fans excited about a potential second-year jump from a player Brad Stevens drafted 30th overall in 2024.

Shooting slumps happen, though. It’s just that this one came at a bad time. He deserves credit for his willingness to shoot through the slump. It’s also encouraging that Matt Reynolds keeps running plays for him and keeps featuring him as a primary offensive weapon. That shows trust. And it shows grit on his part.

Shooting is just one part of the game. Yes, it’s the most prevalent, especially in terms of the box score. However, there are a multitude of ways to make a positive impact. Scheierman will have plenty of opportunities to right the ship over the coming months, but if we want to take a positive away from his Summer League experience, it’s that it’s forced him to lean on the other aspects of his game. It just so happens that those aspects are also high-level skill sets for him.

I’m excited to see what he does with NBA spacing and more catch-and-shoot reps from a stationary position. Scheierman could be in for a big year, Summer League be dammed.