Celtics Guard Embracing 'Opportunity' of G League Stint Despite Demotion

He is making the most of his position.

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Boston Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman is primarily spending the 2024-25 season in the G League with the Maine Celtics. The former Creighton standout was drafted No. 30 overall by the Celtics in the 2024 NBA Draft, and is mostly getting his start in the G League.

Scheierman doesn't view his time in the G League as a demotion though, but an opportunity to get better as he begins his pro career.

“It’s all just about enjoying it,” Scheierman said, via Noa Dalzell of Celtics Blog. “I don’t look at it as a demotion. It’s not a demotion. It’s an opportunity to play, and get live reps, and get better at your game so that when your number is called in Boston, you’re ready to go.”

Scheierman feels he has already significant strides, particularly during the preseason when he saw playing time with the Celtics. Scheierman appeared in all five of the Celtics' preseason games, and specifically saw improvement in his spacing both offensively and defensively.

“Every game in the preseason, I got better in terms of just everything else, besides making shots,” he said. “I’m not trying to miss shots — you can’t really control if shots are going in or not. I put in a lot of time in that part of my game, so I’m not really worried about that. But defensively — and then just offensively in terms of spacing and crashing the glass — I think each game in the preseason I got better and better.”

Through his first four games in the G League, Scheierman is averaging 23 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field. Scheierman has also appeared in three NBA games, recording a combined total of four points and four rebounds over 18 minutes of action.

Scheierman declared for the draft after playing five years of college basketball, including three years at South Dakota State and his final two with Creighton. In his final season of collegiate basketball, he averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.

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