Brad Stevens made history this year. Obviously, helping the Boston Celtics win their first title in 16 years was the peak of said history, but he also accomplished a first in the NBA Draft. Stevens made his first first-round draft pick since taking over as the team’s GM, and he selected Baylor Scheierman with the final pick in Round 1.
Scheierman entered the draft with what looked to be an NBA-ready skill set, and while Summer League saw a few ups and downs, he looked comfortable. But the preseason was a different story. The game looked way too fast for Scheierman, and his three-ball just wasn’t falling.
It was a rough start, but his teammates aren’t worried about him.
Sam Hauser has advice for Baylor Scheierman
After Celtics practice on Friday, Sam Hauser spoke about his relationship with Scheierman, the rookie’s preseason slump, and the advice he’s shared with him since joining Boston.
“Yeah, I mean, for Baylor, it's just like, 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. And trying to remember my first preseason, I don't think I played all that well.
“So, I keep trying to tell him, 'Just keep staying aggressive. Keep shooting.' I've been helping him out whenever he has questions and anything like that. But he's a great player, he's going to do well, and I'm excited to see what he can bring to the table this year.”
Earlier in training camp, Scheierman said that Hauser and assistant coach Craig Luschenat have been very helpful since he joined the team.
“Working on my shot,” Scheierman said. “Continuing to tune up things. Trying to get it off quicker. Been working with Craig [Luschenat] a lot and Sam Hauser a lot, and they've been giving me a lot of great tips and tricks to try to do that in a game.”
Scheierman and Luschenat have been running through the same pre-game drills that Hauser does. This includes warming up with a tennis ball, working on shuffling feet on defense, and passing balls back and forth to work on catching.
Last year, Hauser was one of the best shooters in the NBA, and Luschenat worked hand-in-hand with him. If Scheierman can get help from those guys, he should be in a great place moving forward, regardless of his preseason woes.
