Celtics Rookie Baylor Scheierman's Emergence Could be Bad News For Torrey Craig

Boston rookie Baylor Scheierman has had a productive spring, which could spell trouble for vet Torrey Craig.

Mar 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA: Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman (55) reacts after being hit in the chest against the Sacramento Kings in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Boston Celtics rookie small forward Baylor Scheierman has become a consistent bench 3-point release valve during the last month-plus of games when he's been frequently pressed into service amidst accumulating injuries to starrier perimeter pieces on the reigning champs.

In March, the No. 30 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft connected on 47.4 percent of his 3.8 long-range attempts a night.

Per Brian Robb of MassLive, the rest of Scheierman's all-around game has also improved by leaps and bounds, so much so that Scheierman has already superseded veteran wing Torrey Craig, a much-ballyhooed buyout market midseason signing, as a superior reserve option.

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Scheierman's emergence could thus make Craig's future with the franchise a bit murky. Craig will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Scheierman is under team control on a rookie-scale salary for the next three years. While Craig may be a better defender, Scheierman's offensive upside makes him the obvious long-term preferential fit anyway.

During his breakout March run, Scheierman reflected on getting more comfortable playing in NBA game-time situations, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe notes.

“Obviously it’s a lot of fun when [the game] slows down and it feels like you’re just out there playing free, playing loose,” Scheierman said. “Coach [Joe Mazzulla] has got a lot of confidence in you, players have got a lot of confidence in you. That’s what the game is all about, and that’s how I enjoy playing.”

For his part, Mazzulla clapped back at the notion of Scheierman building confidence specifically, not that his acclimation was just a natural part of a non-lottery rookie's learning curve while on a contending team.

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“Confidence is kind of an overused term,” Mazzulla said. “I think in reality, it’s like, this kid just got here. He’s been here for three months. Like, what do you expect him to look like 10 games in playing sporadically? He’s always had that confidence. I think a lot of it is a matter of timing. A lot of it’s a matter of opportunity. And a lot of it is the moments that you get, you’ve got to deliver and you’ve got to impact winning.”

Across his last nine games since March 15, Scheierman is averaging 5.7 points on .486/.485/.500 shooting splits, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals in 16.4 minutes per.

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