Thirty players saw their dreams realized on Wednesday night during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, including Creighton standout Baylor Scheierman.
The Aurora, Nebraska, native went off the board at No. 30 to the Boston Celtics.
Scheierman had to wait until the final pick of day one, but the 2024 NBA champions used their pick on the sharp-shooting wing to add to their core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. According to a source, Boston told Scheierman they loved him during the pre-draft process but didn’t think he’d fall to them at 30.
Scheierman capped a five-year college career with a third-team All-American season, leading the Bluejays to the Sweet 16. He averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field (38.1% from 3) and 87.6% from the free-throw line. He recorded 14 double-doubles and the program’s first traditional triple-double as Creighton went 25-10 including 14-6 in Big East play and finished at No. 13 in the final AP Poll.
After a prolific multi-sport career at Aurora High School, Scheierman began his college career at South Dakota State, spending three standout seasons as a Jackrabbit. He developed into the Summit League Player of the Year in his third season, averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 46.9% from 3. After the season, he opted to test the NBA Draft waters while entering the transfer portal. Scheierman participated in the G League Elite Camp but did not receive and invitation to the NBA Combine and chose to return to college, choosing Creighton as his transfer destination.
Scheierman averaged 12.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 36.4% from 3 in his first season as a Bluejay. Scheierman decided soon after the season to take advantage of his extra year of eligibility and return to Creighton, spending the spring and summer working on his body with Creighton’s head coach of athletic performance, Jeremy Anderson, instead of testing the NBA waters again. That decision paid off with the best season of his career, culminating in hearing his name called in the first round.
Scheierman was one of the standout performers at the NBA Combine, displaying his high-level shooting ability and feel for the game during the five-on-five scrimmages and shooting drills. His ability to shoot off movement, rebound at a high level on the defensive end and make advanced passing reads are all traits that will serve him well in the NBA.
Scheierman is the first Creighton player selected since Marcus Zegarowski went 49th in the 2021 draft and the first Bluejay first-rounder since Justin Patton went 16th in 2017.
Visit the Hurrdat Sports YouTube channel (and all other platforms) at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday for more on Scheierman’s journey to the NBA.
