[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2024 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Baylor Scheierman
Frame: 6’6″, 202 lbs
Position: Forward
Team: Creighton Bluejays
2024 Draft Age: 23
Stats via www.sports-reference.com and www.barttorvik.com

Offense

Scheierman is an elite three-point marksman (38.1 percent on 8.3 attempts) who can also be a secondary playmaker. As Creighton’s leading scorer (18.5 points per game), he gets his threes off via pin-downs, dribble-handoffs, side-steps and pull-ups in transition. Scheierman is a threat once he crosses half-court and can pull up from NBA range. His lefty stroke is effortless, and it looks identical every time. Scheierman’s jumper opens driving lanes for him to pump-and-go finish at the rim with both hands (63.2 percent at the rim). He is very good at relocating off the ball into open space and letting the ball come to him. When he gets to the rim and gets walled off, he likes to stop and pivot into a turnaround jumper over his left shoulder (44.7 percent on non-rim 2-pt field goals, up 17 points from last year).

Scheierman’s shooting ability also opens up his passing game; when he receives the ball off a hand-off or screen, defenders fly out to him, opening up the pocket pass. He manipulates the defense with fake passes to the roller, sucking in defenders so the skip pass to the wing or corner opens up for him. Scheierman has developed a crafty two-man game with center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who sets pin-downs and dribble hand-offs for him, opening the floor up for the offense. He is an excellent entry passer and will lob up passes from awkward angles to Kalkbrenner, setting him up for easy finishes. Scheierman likes to grab the rebound, push pace, throw hit-ahead passes, and find cutters near the rim. He lets the game come to him and makes the simple reads while taking care of the ball (3.9 assists to 1.7 turnovers per game). Scheierman can initiate screen and rolls and is a willing screener.

He can get a little trigger-happy and settle for jumpers when he can attack the basket or keep the ball moving. Scheierman struggles to deal with quickness and physicality. Players like UConn’s Stephon Castle made it hard for him to get free for open looks at the rim and from three. Constant pressure made him second-guess shots at the rim and cough up the ball. Scheierman sometimes struggles to finish over length and is not the most athletic. He frequently needs a screen to free himself up, getting by with craftiness, footwork and physicality instead of raw athleticism and blow-by speed. Scheierman is not much of a leaper; he only had eight dunks all season. However, it was an improvement from last year’s two dunks.

Defense

Scheierman is an adequate man-to-man defender who competes to stay in front of his man and displays solid screen navigation. He has a good stance and uses his frame to wall off opponents when they drive to the rim. Scheierman sometimes took the toughest perimeter assignment, or they would hide him on a non-shooter so he could roam and help on the glass. He can hold up on certain switches and is a fantastic rebounder for his position (9.0 rebounds per game), often flying in for rebounds over traffic and starting the break.

He needs to improve as an off-ball defender; too many times he will over-help, causing breakdowns and shooters to be open. Scheierman is sometimes slowly reacting to rotations and can be late to closing out to shooters. Despite him putting in effort, he can get beat off the dribble by quicker players and pushed around by more physical ones. He could be a better rim protector (0.1 blocks per game) and offers little resistance as an interior defender and weakside rim protector. Scheierman had five blocks this season, and only 29 in a five-year college career of 162 games total.

Looking Ahead

Scheierman’s versatility as a shooter should get him minutes right away. Coaches will love how they can use his movement shooting to open up the offense for their team. He has high-level role-player qualities that will be a plus at the next level, such as his playmaking and rebounding. Scheierman’s gravity and IQ will be apparent next to ball-dominant players.

The defense is the primary concern at the next level. Teams will test his lateral movement early on, and he must prove he can hold up. Teams will run him off the three-point line, and he will have to display that he can put it on the floor and create for himself and others—Scheierman projects as a late first-rounder to an early second-rounder in the NBA Draft.