Exclusive: Baylor Scheierman reveals even-keeled roots fueling his Celtics rise

Baylor Scheierman joined a 64-win championship team as the last first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Two years prior, he was playing at South Dakota State. That didn't matter. There was no convincing him that he didn't belong.

Even when colleges, including Creighton -- a university he grew up near, didn't have him on their radar while he was in high school, his self-belief never wavered.

That confidence propelled the Boston Celtics' wing to open doors for himself. After two years at South Dakota State, he became a star for the Bluejays. He helped lead Creighton to the Elite Eight and then the Sweet Sixteen.

"The more you see success, the higher your confidence becomes. But I think that my confidence was always, you know, I always had a lot of confidence in myself, even in high school, even though I wasn't necessarily highly recruited," Scheierman told Hardwood Houdini in the visiting locker room at Madison Square Garden before Boston's 112-106 loss to the New York Knicks. "Once you start to have a little success and kind of have that confidence in yourself that you can do it, there's not really anything that can really take that away. And that's kind of how I just feel myself."

So when he averaged 12.4 minutes across 31 appearances as a rookie, it never changed how he viewed himself. Again, he broke through, now showcasing his winning traits as a crucial part of the second-seeded Celtics' external-expectation-defying campaign.

The latest example of that came Thursday night at "The World's Most Famous Arena." Scheierman's shot-making was a core component in Boston's ability to swing the momentum after a slow start to the second half.

The six-foot-six wing buried six of the seven shots he hoisted in the final two frames. That includes five of his six three-point attempts. He knocked down all four of his shots in the fourth quarter, including a pair of crunch-time triples. He finished with 20 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench.

"He's a great player," said Payton Pritchard post-game. "[He] hit big-time shots tonight, and just a winning player too. So he does things even when his shot is not falling, does things to help the team win."

How Baylor Scheierman is converting confidence into production

The second-year wing's breakthrough into Boston's rotation begins with a self-empowering internal monologue. However, belief is not enough. One has to put in the work.

Scheierman has worked with Celtics performance coach Matt Gould and Creighton's strength and conditioning coach, Jeremy Anderson, to undergo a physical transformation.

The two have helped him shed baby fat, add lean mass, and grow into a player who Joe Mazzulla trusts against assignments ranging from Kevin Durant and Tyrese Maxey to Cade Cunningham, Cooper Flagg, and centers like Isaiah Stewart.

"He put a lot of work into that, especially that second summer he was with us," former Creighton teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner told Hardwood Houdini before the Charlotte Hornets' 113-102 loss at TD Garden. "I don't think he ever left Omaha. He was always working with our strength guy there. So he put a lot of work into that, and he could see the results when he came back for his fifth year, and he was a lot better for it."

The other factor fueling Scheierman is incredible instincts. He has a tremendous feel for the game. Those anticipatory skills allow him to overcome any concerns about his athleticism. They also translate to him consistently making winning plays on the glass.

"It just seemed like the game was in slow motion for him," said Steve Merfeld, the assistant to the head coach, Greg McDermott, for the Bluejays' men's basketball team. "He just always made the right play."

"My dad just couldn't stop raving about his feel for the game -- his IQ," conveyed Greg's son, 11-year NBA veteran Doug McDermott. "You can tell he played quarterback in high school. He just -- he knows how to play winning basketball, and he makes everyone better. He can really shoot the ball, but I think his biggest strength is just his IQ and knowing how to play. And you're starting to see that with the Celtics. He's getting a lot more opportunity, and he's thriving."

The roots of Baylor Scheierman's even-keeled nature

Whether Stephon Marbury is chirping in Scheierman's ear, as he was during crunch-time of the Celtics' most recent trip to Madison Square Garden, shots aren't falling, or his team is in a "have to have it" situation, the Nebraska native is unflappable.

"It goes back to his extreme confidence in his own abilities," said coach Merfeld. "Nothing seems to rattle him. There's obviously guys at the highest level in the NBA that can be rattled, but nothing will rattle him. He's almost like a quarterback that just makes the right play, the right read. He just makes that winning play every single time. Sure, he's gonna make some mistakes, I mean, that's part of it, but I think over the last year and a half, he has earned the coach's trust. They know what they're gonna get when Baylor is in the game at both ends of the floor."

That approach epitomized one that helped Creighton stage deep NCAA Tournament runs during Scheierman's two years with the program.

"He was always the same player, no matter what the situation is," said Kalkbrenner. "That fit our program perfectly. We, as a program, didn't like to ride the ups and downs, and he didn't do that either. So, he fit in perfectly and was a great example for the rest of the guys on the team."

Where does that unflappable nature come from? The credit goes to his upbringing.

"I think it's kind of just something that I've always had, I think it kind of comes from my mom a little bit," expressed Scheierman. "How she was, growing up with all of us, five kids in the house. And then, she's also a teacher, too. So, her ability to not ever get rattled, regardless of what's going on. So, I give her a lot of credit, too. But yeah, basketball is obviously a long game, and there's a lot of stuff that happens out there, and being able to view it in small components, instead of one big long game, allows you to move on from one play to the next. And when you're able to have that mindset, I think it just allows you to be able to play free and not really dwell on anything."

Of course, when he was starring at the school he grew up near, it also helped to have a future NBA center alongside him.

"Ryan's, one, a great person, and two, a great teammate, and it made it super easy for us when we were on the court playing together," conveyed Scheierman. "He also just kind of stayed super even-keeled, honestly, throughout the game; doesn't show a whole lot of emotion, and we were able to kind of feed off of each other and be able to play off each other really well."

That unflappable, steady approach, his unwavering confidence, elite instincts, and a physical transformation allowing him to maximize his intangibles have turned Scheierman into an important part of the Celtics' present and future.

As the playoffs approach, and Boston readies for another championship chase, he has become a rotation fixture. One whom Joe Mazzulla knows he can count on, no matter the situation or the pressure his team is under.

"He just does a lot for us," said Mazzulla after the Celtics' game against the Knicks on Thursday. "Whether it's his crashing or his defense, but his instincts on both ends. He's just continuing to get better and better, and that's what we need, heading down the stretch."