BOSTON — Just a few days after Baylor Scheierman was drafted, he met Jayson Tatum on the Auerbach Heart.
“The primary day I stepped foot into the observe facility, he was there signing his new contract,” Scheierman informed CelticsBlog earlier this month. “And simply from the soar, he was all the time there for me to speak to.”
Scheierman, chosen with the No. 30 decide within the NBA Draft, signed his rookie contract the identical day Tatum signed his supermax extension.
And, from the soar, his celebrity teammate served as an approachable supply of data and steering.
“I requested him about Summer season League and what to anticipate, and he shared every part and gave me some recommendation on how I ought to go about it and whatnot,” Scheierman stated of Tatum. “And it’s simply how he’s been the entire 12 months.”
All through the season, Tatum routinely praised Scheierman for his maturity and strategy to the sport.
“His understanding of the sport may be very excessive,” Tatum stated in March. “Very excessive IQ participant — is aware of the place to be on the ground spacing smart.”
“He simply has actually good instincts, clearly can shoot the ball — not essentially the most athletic, however understands how you can use his physique.”
The delivery of the wrist celebration
The 2’s friendship was seen after Tatum harm his wrist within the playoff opener towards the Orlando Magic. Tatum sat out Sport 2 and returned to common 36 factors per sport in the remainder of the collection. After every three, he raised his wrist over his head, a celebration he credited Scheierman for developing with in his postgame press convention.
Scheierman loved watching Tatum’s dominance later in that collection — and in flip, the Celtics’ rookie got here up with a patented wrist celebration from the sidelines.
“When he got here again, he was cooking,” Scheierman stated. “And it’s similar to, ‘I received a sprained wrist, and I’m nonetheless out right here cooking you guys.’”
“He noticed me do it, and type of preferred it. It was like, ‘Good things, rook,’ and we simply went with it.”
And, when it was Scheierman’s flip to attain within the playoffs, Tatum responded with the identical sideline celebration.
Scheierman stated Tatum instilled him with confidence all season lengthy
Subsequent season, with Tatum anticipated to overlook most, if not all, of the 12 months as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon, Scheierman might see a bigger position within the rotation. The 24-year-old, who spent the primary half of the season within the G League, discovered his footing when he joined the mother or father membership full-time, showcasing his offensive versatility and hustle.
In March, Scheierman averaged 6.3 factors on 48.8% taking pictures, together with a scorching 47.4% from three. He credited Tatum for persevering with to encourage him throughout that run.
“The final stretch of the season, after I was getting a number of minutes, he was simply frequently in my ear telling me to be assured, proceed to be aggressive, and shoot the ball after I’m open,” Scheierman stated. “That’s simply the kind of teammate he’s — the kind of man he’s — simply instilling confidence in everyone that’s on the court docket and on the bench.”
