Celtics rookie Baylor Scheierman gifted game ball for scoring his first NBA points

The Celtics were aware of the milestone on an otherwise ho-hum night, and in the locker room afterward, forward Jaylen Brown presented Scheierman with the game ball. Brown said it is important to celebrate small moments that can get lost in the shuffle, and he hoped to help Scheierman feel more empowered. He made his debut in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ rout against the Wizards Thursday night. Although the sharpshooter missed both of his 3-pointers, including one grisly one from the top of the key that caromed hard off the backboard, he scored his first NBA points on a fast-break layup with 2 minutes, 31 seconds left. DETROIT — Like many rookies who join very good teams, Baylor Scheierman knows that for the first time in his basketball career he will be watching games much more frequently than he appears in them. Scheierman said he heard the players talking about giving him the game ball when they were walking back to the locker room after the final buzzer, but he thought they were just joking. “But I just thought they were messing around and [Brown] came walking in with it,” Scheierman said Saturday, before the Celtics faced the Pistons. “It was a cool experience for sure, obviously, first NBA points to get the game ball. So it was a special feeling. He just said, ‘Congrats, rook. Many more to come.’ ” Scheierman said he will probably add an inscription to the ball and get a case for it, and that he will either display it at his apartment or give it to his mother. But he understands he is at this level to do much more than convert a layup late in a blowout win against the lowly Wizards. So he is trying to soak up as much as he can while he is more of a spectator than a participant. “It’s definitely different coming from college where you play a lot and coming to a team like this that has a lot of established guys,” Scheierman said. “But for me, I think it’s just a great opportunity to learn from guys who have made it in this league and obviously signed contracts for a lot of money and have learned at this level. So for me, I take it as a learning opportunity, being able to learn from them and grow so that when I get my shot down the line, I’m ready for it.” Scheierman said that guard Payton Pritchard, who navigated some stretches on the bench earlier in his career, has been an asset during games, pointing out what to watch and look for, and answering any questions that might pop up. “It’s a long journey, and he’s a rookie,” Pritchard said. “Guys are young, they want to play right away, but he’s on a winning team, on the best team that just won a championship. So you’ve got to treat it like a redshirt year. You’re getting better and better. He’s on a four-year deal, so you want to be peaking at the end of that and just grinding every day, learning from everybody, so when your moment comes, you’re ready for it. Ultimately, his moment ain’t right now.” The Celtics are trying to become the NBA’s first repeat champions since the Warriors in 2017-18. But Brown said he does not view it as a title defense. “It feels like the chip is still on our shoulder, for whatever reason,” Brown said. “It doesn’t feel like defending. It feels like we’ve got to go get it again, to me. Maybe everybody else feels different, but that’s how I feel.” Celtics forward Sam Hauser missed his second straight game Saturday because of lower-back pain. Coach Joe Mazzulla said Hauser returned to Boston for treatment, but that Hauser’s status remains day to day. Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.