The Celtics used their two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft to add a pair of uber-experienced college prospects to their championship core.
Boston selected Creighton wing Baylor Scheierman with the final pick of the first round Wednesday night (30th overall), then closed out its draft by taking Gonzaga forward Anton Watson at No. 54 on Thursday.
“We all thought really highly of Baylor and were excited that he had dropped to 30,” said Brad Stevens, who did not make a first-round pick in his first three drafts as Celtics president of basketball operations. “And then in the second round, similar thing with Anton.
“I think those guys both are winning players. They played in a lot of big moments and a lot of big games in big environments. They know how to play on both ends of the floor.”
What are the Celtics getting in Scheierman? Great 3-point shooting, for starters. He shot 39.0% from deep in his college career and led the Big East in made threes last season. He’s also a smart player who sees the floor well — a trait linked to his time as an award-winning high school quarterback in Aurora, Neb. — and is highly active on the glass.
Scheierman led his conference in defensive rebounding last season (9.0 per game) despite standing a hair over 6-foot-6, and his 1,140 career defensive boards were the most by any Division I college player in the last 25 years. He’s also the first player in men’s DI history to surpass 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 3-pointers in his career.
That stat line shows that Scheierman is more than just a 3-point specialist. It also underscores the fact that he spent a long time in college — three seasons at South Dakota State and then two at Creighton, where he starred for teams that ranked in the top 15 nationally and advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Boston’s last three draft choices were 19, 19 and 18 when drafted. Scheierman turns 24 in September. He’s 3 1/2 years older than last year’s Celtics draftee, second-round pick Jordan Walsh, and two years older than 2022 second-rounder JD Davison.
So far, Walsh and Davison both have seen far more action with the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine (81 appearances between them) than for the big club (29, including just nine by Walsh as a rookie).
Scheierman’s age and experience (162 collegiate games over five seasons) won’t guarantee him playing time. Nor will his higher draft slot; more than half of last year’s first-round picks spent time in the G League as rookies, and most of those weren’t playing for championship-caliber clubs.
But it puts him on a significantly different development track than Boston’s previous selections, who entered the NBA as teenaged projects. The odds of Scheierman being at least a depth contributor in his first season are much higher.
Scheierman had been on the Celtics’ radar for several years, and not just because of his biannual matchups with Stevens’ former school, Butler. He worked out for Boston ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft before ultimately deciding to stay in school and transfer to Creighton.
“I really enjoyed both times I worked out there,” said Scheierman, who received messages from Stevens, Joe Mazzulla, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford in the hours after his selection. “… Obviously, I felt like I put a good step forward in those workouts, and I’m just really excited to have this opportunity in Boston and excited to get to work.”
Scheierman said the Celtics “really like my game (and) my ability to impact the game in different ways, whether that be shooting, passing, dribbling or just my IQ,” and he believes he’ll be a good fit for their unselfish team culture. Their message to him after his 2022 workout was that he needed to improve his strength, quickness and explosiveness, and though he made boosting those attributes one of his top priorities at Creighton, 2024 scouting reports still dinged him for his relative lack of athleticism.
It remains to be seen whether drafting Scheierman will have any impact on Sam Hauser, who was Boston’s top off-the-bench shooter this past season. Hauser has a team option in his contract for 2024-25, and pre-draft reports suggested Boston would like to lock him up on a longer-term deal.
Stevens wouldn’t discuss particulars but said the Celtics “want Hauser to be here for a long time.”
Watson is a similarly seasoned prospect. He’s 10 days younger than Scheierman, so he’ll also be 24 when his rookie season tips off. Another five-year collegian, he appeared in 151 games for Gonzaga and was a full-time starter for his final two seasons.
Scouting reports praise the 6-foot-8 Watson for his versatility, especially on the defensive end, while knocking his athleticism and limited scoring ability. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor listed Watson’s NBA player comp as “Old Al Horford” — as in, early-career Horford, before the veteran Celtics big man added 3-point shooting to his repertoire.
Watson made just 46 threes in his college career and shot 30.7% from beyond the arc. He did show improvement there in 2023-24, however, making 41.2% of his limited 3-point attempts (21 of 51) across 35 appearances. Watson averaged 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in his final season with the Zags, shooting 57.8% from the field.
“Anton’s strength and ability to move his feet laterally give him a chance to be one of these big, strong hybrid forwards that can switch and guard a lot of people,” Stevens said. “I want him to come in here with the mindset that he’s going to let it fly like he’s never let it fly, because I think he’s a better shooter than he sometimes thinks he is.”
With starting center Kristaps Porzingis set to miss at least the first month of the season following leg surgery, the Celtics have a clear need for depth behind the actual Horford. It’s rare for a player drafted as late as Watson to quickly contribute, however, so don’t be surprised if he spends most or all of his rookie year in the G League.
The Watson pick was quickly overshadowed by the player who went one spot later: Bronny James, who will join his famous father in Los Angeles after going 55th overall to the Lakers.
James could make his debut in Lakers purple as early as next weekend, when LA competes in the California Classic Summer League. The Celtics aren’t participating in that young-player showcase, but Scheierman and Watson should be on their roster for the Las Vegas Summer League beginning July 12.
