The Celtics picked up a great athlete when they selected Blake Scheierman in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Scheierman was a four-sport star in high school, playing football, baseball and golf on top of the game he turned into his profession. In fact, the Creighton product led his football team to a state championship in the same season he set Nebraska high school records for passing yards and touchdowns in a single campaign.
The 23-year-old's football days are well behind him and he's now trying to carve out a role for himself in Boston. But Celtics assistant general manager Austin Ainge had the gridiron on his mind when he made an NBA comparison for Scheierman.
“Some people have asked me about comps. He’s bigger and a little different, but Luke Kennard was also a high school quarterback and plays kind of similarly,” Ainge said on the "Celtics Talk" podcast, as transcribed by Boston.com. “So, that’s something fans at home can think about."
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Kennard has turned into a solid player since he was drafted 12th overall in 2017, nine spots after the Celtics grabbed Jayson Tatum. The Duke product averaged double-digit points in over half of his first seven seasons and remains a deadeye 3-point shooter, highlighted by his 49.4% mark in the 2022-23 campaign.
If Boston ends up receiving similar production from Scheierman, the organization surely will be pleased.
Featured image via David Banks/USA TODAY Sports Images