Meaningful minutes have been hard to come by for Baylor Scheierman in his rookie season.
There have been spot minutes within the rotation, particularly in the second half of the season, but those cameo appearances have done little to sell him as a ready-to-go rotation contributor.
It’s not uncommon to see a rookie in an already established ecosystem look entirely fearful of touching the ball or making a mistake. Jordan Walsh is an example close to home, but for a career 39% shooter across 162 games of college basketball, there was a little more hope that the rookie frights wouldn’t strike.
Against Philadelphia, that wasn’t the case. In a career-best performance, Scheierman finished with career-highs in minutes (30), points (15) and assists (3). It was also the fifth time he’s grabbed three rebounds and just his fourth game playing at least 10 minutes.
A performance like this is generally reserved for Game #82 of the regular season, a time for deep bench players to shine and gain confidence while the starters sit in preparation for the postseason. It was, instead, the same idea 19 games short of No. 82, with one playoff-bound team taking a cautious stance with its starters and the other fully embraced within its own last-minute tank. In the end, it was a huge help for players like Baylor, who Joe Mazzulla praised for an all-around performance after the game.
Joe Mazzulla loved what he saw out of Baylor Scheierman:
“He was great on both ends of the floor… another guy that, regardless of how well he shoots, is defined by the other stuff: the rebounding, the defense, the loose ball that he chased down, the charge that he took.” pic.twitter.com/yfH91Tmek3
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) March 7, 2025
Entering the game shooting 1-of-15 from three, Scheierman showed more confidence than he has all season, firing away with seven attempts from deep and connecting on three of those, including a corner triple in front of the Sixers bench that prompted a kiss in their direction as he waltzed back to the other end of the floor.
“Every time you shoot behind the [opposing] bench, they’re always saying, ‘Hell nah’ so I blew them a little kiss,” Scheierman said.
He’s hit nearly 41% of his 10-plus three-point attempts a night with Maine and shot 38% in his final season at Creighton, so it’s no surprise that after nearly a year in the bigs, he’d find his footing.
Last night also offered a smorgasbord of Scheierman’s potential as a scorer, defender and collector of Tommy Points.
Scheierman drilled his treys by placing himself in the right spot, keeping his hands ready and letting it fly when given the opportunity. Only on one of his makes (2Q, 6:31) did he actively take himself out of position, abandoning the strong-side corner as Payton Pritchard made his way across the baseline — although Torrey Craig was in the right spot, delivering the extra pass for Scheierman to hit from the wing.
We also saw his ability to create off the dribble. This was an area of Scheierman’s game that really stood out in his time at Creighton. While lacking much burst, he uses his size to shield off defenders to create space for himself, and has an effective pump-fake that punishes defenders closing out too hard. He utilized the fake twice last night, creating easy looks in the mid-range and at the hoop.
The trust Scheierman earned could be seen in the two ATOs called from the sideline that heavily involved the rookie within the flow of the action. After the game, Mazzula commented on how Scheierman “did things that impacted winning” when asked about his role within those ATOs.
And maybe most importantly, his overall energy created opportunities for himself and others while limiting the offense of the Sixers. Philadelphia shot 2-of-6 with Scheierman as the primary defender, with defensive stops including a switch inside on Adem Bona, on off-ball closeout on Kelly Oubre Jr., and a screen-fighting contest on a Lonnie Walker three.
In the hustle category, a second quarter crash to the glass with a sharp kickout into the hands of Pritchard earned Boston an extra opportunity, while his biggest play of the game saw him read Oubre’s eyes after a three-point misfire and swiping the ball before it reached halfcourt, drawing a foul and earning himself a trip to the line.
Opportunities were created for Scheierman, but more importantly, he was creating them himself as well, leaving the game with a well-earned +18 in 30 minutes.
We may not see another 30-minute appearance from Scheierman before the final week of the regular season (or at least until the 2-seed is locked up), but with a real chance to showcase all of the things that made him a first round prospect in the first place, Scheierman took his opportunity and ran with it.
