BOSTON — Baylor Scheierman drove himself up to Portland for the first time on Tuesday before catching a ride directly back to TD Garden on Wednesday afternoon. It’s his first of multiple expected trips up and down I-95 in his rookie season.
With a suitcase and bag in front of his locker, Boston’s first round pick went through a workout before the Warriors game before he’ll rejoin the Maine Celtics on Thursday, traveling for their opener on Friday to Long Island. Scheierman told CLNS Media that he plans to play in the G-League through at least their opening week, then likely appear with Maine on a week-to-week basis as Boston’s schedule progresses.
After landing with the Celtics as the No. 30 overall pick in June’s draft, he’s appeared for only 18 minutes across three games, shooting 1-of-6 and 0-of-4 from three after starting 16.7% from the field through five preseason games. Training camp saw him go through a crash course on defensive terminology and Boston’s array of schemes.
“This morning, we had a practice that I was able to be part of,” Scheierman said. “Really enjoyed my time up there, and obviously was a lot of fun to just go out there and play a lot and do some things that I’m not necessarily doing here. I’m just learning and excited to keep growing, and with that comes with reps.”
Maine began training camp last week with two-way forward and second round pick Anton Watson participating for the entirety of it. Drew Peterson joined him as well while JD Davison stayed with the Celtics for the duration of their four-game road trip, Boston maintaining only 14 standard roster players with two of them down in Kristaps Porziņģis and Jaylen Brown. Brown remained out on Wednesday for the third straight game, where Scheierman returned to active status while Davison sat in street clothes.
Scheierman’s shift to the G-League comes as some surprise following five college seasons. He was projected to fit quickly when the Celtics played short-handed. Instead, Jordan Walsh, who was slated to return to Maine this year, emerged following a disastrous Summer League with a solid preseason that earned him a consistent role at the back end of Boston’s rotation. His assignment no longer appears imminent.
Maine will likely feature Davison, Watson, Peterson and Scheierman alongside Celtics camp invites Dmytro Skapintsev, Ron Harper Jr., Tristan Enaruna and Jordan Schakel. Jay Scrubb and Hason Ward will also play in Maine after briefly signing with Boston via Exhibit 10 deals.
“Like I said, I’m just excited to get those reps and actually play and just continue to grow,” Scheierman said. “Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it and at the end of the day, this year, I’m just looking forward to learning and growing, learning the ins-and-outs of the game. Spacing, just being able to realize situations to put yourself in successful spots, especially with this big group, playing off the stars we have and being able to impact the game in different ways to get on the court.”
