It might only be the start of the third season of Baylor Scheierman's NBA career since being picked up by the Boston Celtics with the 30th overall selection of the 2024 NBA Draft, but he has plenty of experience on how to play the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks with a total of 8 regular season tilts with the Knicks plus a 6-game postseason series vs. New York to his name already.
And the Nebraska native had some words to that effect ahead of what will be his ninth collision with the Knicks in the regular season after a Celtics practice on Friday (Oct. 23) morning. "It comes down to the discipline of guarding for 24 seconds," he explained via CLNS Media.
"They like to push it, and then if it's not there, it really works the box," Scheierman continued. "So I think it comes down to our discipline of staying consistent throughout the possession, and then finishing possessions with rebounds."
New York's two biggest stars, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, stood out as particular challenges to the Creighton alum. "One, they're tough shot makers," he said.
"And then two, they play well off of each other and you have to be disciplined because they're looking for any sort of angle they can get on you. Especially playing downhill playing off two feet shot fakes stuff like that so it's just a lot of discipline."
Boston will need all it can find to avoid starting their season in a 0-2 deficit. But if the Celtics clean up the late-game issues that doomed them on Opening Night vs. the Detroit Pistons, they just might have a shot.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Discipline of guarding 24 seconds: Scheierman on how Boston Celtics beat Knicks