BOSTON — Just a few days after Baylor Scheierman was drafted, he met Jayson Tatum on the Auerbach Middle.
“The primary day I stepped foot into the observe facility, he was there signing his new contract,” Scheierman advised CelticsBlog earlier this month. “And simply from the leap, he was at all times there for me to speak to.”
Scheierman, chosen with the No. 30 choose within the NBA Draft, signed his rookie contract the identical day Tatum signed his supermax extension.
And, from the leap, his celebrity teammate served as an approachable supply of knowledge and steerage.
“I requested him about Summer time League and what to anticipate, and he shared every little thing and gave me some recommendation on how I ought to go about it and whatnot,” Scheierman mentioned of Tatum. “And it’s simply how he’s been the entire yr.”
All through the season, Tatum routinely praised Scheierman for his maturity and method to the sport.
“His understanding of the sport may be very excessive,” Tatum mentioned in March. “Very excessive IQ participant — is aware of the place to be on the ground spacing clever.”
“He simply has actually good instincts, clearly can shoot the ball — not essentially the most athletic, however understands easy methods to use his physique.”
The beginning 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 recreation in the remainder of the sequence. After every three, he raised his wrist over his head, a celebration he credited Scheierman for arising with in his postgame press convention.
Scheierman loved watching Tatum’s dominance later in that sequence — 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 mentioned. “And it’s identical to, ‘I obtained a sprained wrist, and I’m nonetheless out right here cooking you guys.’”
“He noticed me do it, and type of appreciated 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 mentioned Tatum instilled him with confidence all season lengthy
Subsequent season, with Tatum anticipated to overlook most, if not all, of the yr 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 dad or mum 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, once I was getting a variety of minutes, he was simply frequently in my ear telling me to be assured, proceed to be aggressive, and shoot the ball once I’m open,” Scheierman mentioned. “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.”
