BOSTON — A few days after Baylor Scheierman was drafted, he met Jayson Tatum at the Auerbach Center.
“The first day I stepped foot into the practice facility, he was there signing his new contract,” Scheierman told CelticsBlog earlier this month. “And just from the jump, he was always there for me to talk to.”
Scheierman, selected with the No. 30 pick in the NBA Draft, signed his rookie contract the same day Tatum signed his supermax extension.
And, from the jump, his superstar teammate served as an approachable source of information and guidance.
“I asked him about Summer League and what to expect, and he shared everything and gave me some advice on how I should go about it and whatnot,” Scheierman said of Tatum. “And it’s just how he’s been the whole year.”
Throughout the season, Tatum routinely praised Scheierman for his maturity and approach to the game.
“His understanding of the game is very high,” Tatum said in March. “Very high IQ player — knows where to be on the floor spacing wise.”
“He just has really good instincts, obviously can shoot the ball — not the most athletic, but understands how to use his body.”
The birth of the wrist celebration
The two’s friendship was visible after Tatum hurt his wrist in the playoff opener against the Orlando Magic. Tatum sat out Game 2 and returned to average 36 points per game in the rest of the series. After each three, he raised his wrist over his head, a celebration he credited Scheierman for coming up with in his postgame press conference.
Scheierman enjoyed watching Tatum’s dominance later in that series — and in turn, the Celtics’ rookie came up with a patented wrist celebration from the sidelines.
“When he came back, he was cooking,” Scheierman said. “And it’s just like, ‘I got a sprained wrist, and I’m still out here cooking you guys.’”
“He saw me do it, and kind of liked it. It was like, ‘Good stuff, rook,’ and we just went with it.”
And, when it was Scheierman’s turn to score in the playoffs, Tatum responded with the same sideline celebration.
Scheierman said Tatum instilled him with confidence all season long
Next season, with Tatum expected to miss most, if not all, of the year as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon, Scheierman could see a larger role in the rotation. The 24-year-old, who spent the first half of the season in the G League, found his footing when he joined the parent club full-time, showcasing his offensive versatility and hustle.
In March, Scheierman averaged 6.3 points on 48.8% shooting, including a scorching 47.4% from three. He credited Tatum for continuing to encourage him during that run.
“The last stretch of the season, when I was getting a lot of minutes, he was just continually in my ear telling me to be confident, continue to be aggressive, and shoot the ball when I’m open,” Scheierman said. “That’s just the type of teammate he is — the type of guy he is — just instilling confidence in everybody that’s on the court and on the bench.”
