Mike Conley's 'I Like Him' Compliment to Baylor Scheierman Sticks Out

Mike Conley needed only one possession to make up his mind about Baylor Scheierman.

"The other day, Baylor, I think I got like four offensive rebounds in one possession, and I just said, 'I like him,'" Conley said last week.

"Like that's all I need to know. I like him. I like him a lot."

The veteran guard didn't stop at the rebounds. He pointed to Scheierman's "willingness to crash and keep possessions alive and make the right reads" as the kind of detail that separates role players from rotation mainstays.

"Stuff like that sticks out to me," Conley said.

For a 24-year-old sophomore fighting for minutes on a loaded Celtics roster, hearing that from a 17-year NBA veteran carries weight. Scheierman, in a one-on-one interview at The Citadel with Celtics On SI, didn't downplay it.

"It means a lot," he said. "He's been in the NBA for 20 years, accomplished some great things, and so to have kind of respect from him already, so early on, it means a lot."

Scheierman added that he's grateful for Conley's mentorship and is "continuing to learn from him." Conley's praise isn't just a feel-good moment — it signals that Scheierman's most valuable contributions aren't the ones that show up in a box score.

WHY SCHEIERMAN VALUES IT

Conley's compliment carried extra weight because it came from a specific moment — Scheierman grabbing four offensive rebounds in a single possession. Conley noted that Scheierman "did a bunch of other things other than that," but the hustle "sticks out to me."

For Scheierman, the recognition from a player with Conley's résumé validates the dirty work that doesn't make highlight reels. The 24-year-old isn't just hearing praise; he's absorbing lessons from a veteran who has seen every version of an NBA career.