Stevens touts Celtics draft picks Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson as "winning players"
BOSTON -- Brad Stevens is pretty happy with his 2024 draft haul, adding what he called a pair of "winning players" to the defending champion Boston Celtics in Baylor Scheierman and Anton Watson.
With his first-ever first-round selection as Celtics president of basketball ops., Stevens added Scheierman out of Creighton with the 30th overall pick on Wednesday night. After getting a night's rest thanks to the new two-day format of the NBA Draft -- which Stevens applauded, along with the early start time of Round 2 on Thursday -- he drafted Watson out of Gonzaga with the 54th pick.
"Those guys both are winning players. They've played in a lot of big moments, big games, and big environments. They know how to play on both ends of the floor and have been really well-coached," Stevens said of his 2024 draft class.
"They like basketball, they work hard, they're smart, and they're tough," Stevens added. "When they come here they have to continue to raise their level, because our guys are too."
The Celtics are not short on "winning players" after claiming the franchise's 18th championship a few weeks ago, but it never hurts to have more guys willing to do whatever it takes. With the entire core of Boston's 2024 title-winning squad returning next season, Stevens said his focus was on adding players who will fit into Boston's system and can both "accentuate your team and grow within your group."
He believes his two newest players fit that bill.
Why Scheierman, Watson are "winning players"
Scheierman and Watson both played five years of college ball, which gave them a chance to not only develop but play in some big games throughout their careers.
Scheierman started his career with three seasons at South Dakota State, where he helped the Jack Rabbits make a run to the NCAA Tournament in his junior season. South Dakota went 30-4 during the regular season, including 21-0 in Summit League action, but lost to Providence in the opening round of the tourney. Scheierman averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds that year to earn Summer League Player of the Year honors, and flirted with going pro after the season ended.
But he was told that he had to become a better athlete by teams during the pre-draft process (including the Celtics), and feeling that he had done all he could at South Dakota, Scheierman transferred to Creighton to challenge himself in the Big East.
Scheierman helped the Bluejays make a run to the Elite 8 in his first season at Creighton, and the Sweet 16 in his second and final year in college. He averaged 18.5 points off 45 percent shooting in his final collegiate season, and did exactly what NBA teams had told him he needed to do when he first considered entering the league.
"He's done a good job with his body. He's done a good job in the weight room. Always been super skilled, super smart and super tough. He's a basketball player now; he knows how to play," Stevens said Thursday. "Getting his body to the level it's been the last couple of years and the way it translated to his performance in the Big East is not a surprise. He's got a lot of good things going for him."
Watson played in even more big games, starting 94 of his 151 games for Gonzaga. A versatile defender, Watson helped lead the Bulldogs to four Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights, and an appearance in the Final Four and National Championship game.
Scheierman, Watson are older, but Stevens believes they'll continue to grow
Two years ago, Stevens drafted a 19-year-old JD Davison. Last year, he picked Jordan Walsh, who was also 19 at the time he was selected.
Both Scheierman and Watson are on the older end, with both set to turn 24 in the coming months. But Stevens believes that their five years in college was important to their development, and he thinks both players will continue to grow in the NBA.
"Guys are playing longer, so 23 and 24 are still young in the big picture of things. Both of those guys have shown good growth through their careers so you anticipate they'll continue to grow," he said. "We have some young guys in there that we think really highly of, and I think it's good to have a balance with that."
Stevens excited about Watson's defensive versatility
Watson was a defensive menace throughout his five seasons at Gonzaga, and his 6-foot-8, 225-pound frame makes him incredibly versatile on that end of the floor. He was able to guard every position in college, and showed off some incredible thievery as a forward, finishing second in steals on Gonzaga's all-time list with 215 steals. The only man ahead of him on that steals list is Hall of Famer John Stockton.
Though there will certainly be some necessary adjustments in the NBA, Stevens is excited to see Watson in action on defense.
"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," he said of Watson, who had a career defensive rating of 94.5 at Gonzaga.
Watson will have the green light from downtown
This is no shock, since just about everyone in Joe Mazzulla's offense has the green light to let it fly from the land of three. But Watson struggled from deep during his first four years at Gonzaga, and connected on just 30.7 percent of his shots from downtown for his collegiate career.
But he showed a big improvement last season, hitting 41.2 percent of 1.5 three-point attempts per game.
"I want him to come in here with the mindset that he's gonna let it fly like he's never let it fly before," said Stevens. "I think he's a better shooter than he sometimes thinks he is."