Baylor Scheierman Surprised He Fell to Pick 30, Excited to Join Celtics: 'Where I'm Supposed to Be'

For the Celtics to stay at pick No. 30 in this year's draft, they had to love who was available. Otherwise, they could trade back and avoid putting a guaranteed contract on their books.

But with Baylor Scheierman still on the board when they came on the clock, the reigning NBA champions jumped at the chance to add him to their roster.

"He has done a good job in the weight room; he's always been super skilled, super smart, and super tough; he's a basketball player now," voiced Brad Stevens while discussing the decision to draft the six-foot-six sharpshooter from Creighton after the draft ended. "He knows how to play."

The First Team All-Big East selection is the first men's player in Division 1 history with at least 2,000 points (2,233), 1,000 rebounds (1,256), 500 steals (580), and 300 made threes (356). His 1,140 defensive rebounds are more than any player in the last 25 seasons.

Now in Boston preparing for Summer League, which starts for the Celtics on Saturday against the Heat, Scheierman acknowledged that he entered the draft thinking there was a good chance he'd hear his name called before the 30th pick.

"I was definitely confident coming into draft night that I was gonna get picked that first night," said Scheierman. "I thought I had a great pre-draft process, and there were a few teams that were interested in me before the Celtics, and I thought there was a good chance. But my agent did a good job of just telling me there's a lot of things that can happen on draft night. And at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. So, I'm super excited to be here."

The 23-year-old Aurora, Nebraska native is also aware that he's joining an organization that's helped players up and down the roster hone their craft. That includes aiding in the development of individuals like fellow late-first-round selection Payton Pritchard and undrafted free agents Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet as they carved out roles in Boston.

"Well, it makes me very excited," said Scheierman of what that could signal for his NBA future. "Obviously, the organization was doing a lot of things right to have a lot of guys get drafted or come into this program and then find roles on the team. And so, I'm just trying to soak in all the information that everyone's telling me and try to learn and (to) grow and become the best player I can be."