Simone's Training Camp Notebook: A Baylor Scheierman breakout may be inevitable

BRIGHTON -- Mike Conley has only been with the Boston Celtics for a couple of months. Wednesday was just the second official day of training camp, though the Celtics have been in the gym all summer.

Conley was drafted No. 4 overall in 2007. That's 19 years ago. He's heading into his 20th NBA season this year. If there's anyone on the roster who has seen enough to evaluate NBA talent, it's him.

But now, he's in a new environment. He has a new group of guys to learn about. To assess. To help grow. And in the short time he's been in town, Conley has been impressed.

"There's a lot more talent in here than I ever thought," Conley said with a smile when asked what has stood out to him most about his new teammates. Non-Celtics NBA players might be just like the general public.

It's not always easy to tell how talented a player is without being his teammate. If the guy doesn't play 25 minutes a night and get a ton of shots up, it can be hard to assess him. Perhaps that's been the case with Baylor Scheierman, who was the first of many names Conley mentioned.

"I mean, you can go down the list," Conley said. "Baylor has impressed me a lot. Obviously, Sam [Hauser]. We talk about Payton [Pritchard]. Ron [Harper Jr.]'s looked really good in the summertime, early in training camp. I mean, you can go down the line of all of our guys. So, it's just a really cool collection of guys. All have unique skill sets, and [they're] very high-IQ basketball players, just going out there trying to win."

Scheierman only played 18.6 minutes per game last year for the Celtics. In his 77 appearances (20 starts), he was primarily an off-ball guy. An energy player. A 3-and-D wing.

So far in training camp, his hustle has stood out. It only took Conley one possession to realize just how much Scheierman brings to the table.

"The other day, Baylor, I think he got like four offensive rebounds in one possession. And I just said, 'I like him.' Like, that's all I needed to know," Conley said. "I like him. I like him a lot. And obviously, he did a bunch of other things other than that, but his willingness to crash and keep possessions alive and make the right reads was impressive. And stuff like that sticks out to me."

Scheierman was a monster on the glass last year. Per Databallr, he rebounded 4.0% of the Celtics' misses (67th) and 13.6% of opposing teams' misses (88th percentile).

But he's more than a rebounder. More than a hustle player. And it sounds like he could have a real opportunity to take on a bigger role in Boston's offense this year.

At Media Day, he was asked about the difference between 2025-26 Scheierman and 2026-27 Scheierman. Immediately, he mentioned his on-ball capabilities.

"I think maybe just a little more on-ball reads and stuff like that," Scheierman said. "I think obviously last year, it was kind of just being out there and trying to impact the game in whatever ways necessary. A lot of times that was in the little stuff of diving on the floor, getting offensive rebounds, and things that I love to do, and things that I can do at a high level. But then also, I think my playmaking and my ability to see the floor is something that I think is a strength of mine. So I'd probably say that."

And considering it sounds like the Celtics will be playing with a more free-flowing offense this year, that should fit in nicely. Scheierman is prepared to do more. He's ready to take on more offensive responsibilities.

"I think we're just gonna hoop. We got a lot of guys that understand how to play, and there's gonna be a lot of freedom of movement, and I think that fits my game really well," Scheierman said. "Just having a good IQ of what's going on on the court, where I need to be, what I need to do. Kind of just having situational awareness. I think that's a strength of mine, and I think that's a strength of a lot of guys on our team. And so, I'd just say that, and that's probably how I see myself into this team for sure."

Last season, Scheierman wasn't often an on-ball creator for the Celtics. But when he did have the ball in his hands, he was an extremely underrated playmaker.

Though he only averaged 7.6 potential assists, that number skyrocketed when he actually earned some on-ball time. Databallr tracks how many potential assists a player averages per minute of on-ball time. Scheierman clocked in at 3.3 -- that ranked in the 92nd percentile. And on assist chances created by Scheierman, the Celtics had an effective field goal percentage of 77.0%. That ranked in the 72nd percentile.

That's without even mentioning Scheierman's efficiency. Despite attempting just 12.4 shots per 100 possessions (sixth percentile), Scheierman's true shooting percentage was 3.5% above league average, which ranked in the 85th percentile.

Yes, that's a lot of numbers. But they all tell the same story -- when Scheierman got the chance to create for himself and others, he was efficient, he was effective, and the Celtics were better off for it.

So, as Boston gets ready to head into a season that should feature more offensive diversity than it has in years, Scheierman's name should be at the top of the 'potential breakouts' list. And Joe Mazzulla is happy with his growth as he prepares for that opportunity.

"I think that's what the summer is for. The ability to earn more and get better," Mazzulla said. "And Baylor is a guy that is super professional in his growth and his development. And if a guy earns it more, he earns it more. I also think it's a natural progression for our team. The more guys that we could have being able to do more things, the better it makes us. So, Baylor works on his craft. Yes, he's great at the hustle stuff and the offensive rebounding, but he takes the other stuff just as serious. I think he's gotten better at it this summer."

It only took Conley a couple of months to realize the talent Boston actually has in the building. And of all the guys eager to take a leap next season, Scheierman has been one of the biggest stasndouts.