Aaron Nesmith shines against Celtics
When the Boston Celtics drafted Aaron Nesmith out of Vanderbilt, he was expected to be a solid 3-and-D player off the bench. But an extremely deep Celtics roster prevented him from ever finding his footing, so much so that the Celtics packaged him in a trade with the Indiana Pacers to bring in the eventual sixth man of the year Malcolm Brogdon.
While Brogdon’s time in Boston was short-lived, Nesmith has established a role for himself in Indiana, earning a three-year $33 million extension. He’s currently averaging 12.4 points but, more importantly, shooting 46.3 percent from beyond the arc and finally showing that shooting ability that many expected him to show coming out of college.
As a result, Nesmith has earned himself a solid spot in the rotation, playing a career-high 26.6 minutes per game. Since that trade, Nesmith has clearly had a chip on his shoulder–one that has served him quite well.
Though it’s also a chip that sees him play his best basketball against his former team, showing that there still might be some hard feelings, at least from Nesmith’s side. On Tuesday inside TD Garden, Nesmith dropped 26 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists on 11-of-17 shooting. The Pacers lost, but it was still one of the best games of Nesmith’s career, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence it came against his former team.
Tyrese Haliburton has noticed Nesmith’s improved game, singing his praises in a recent interview.
“He has a chip on his shoulder from being traded and all the things that were said about him when he got traded,” he said. “That’s what we love about him. To be able to sign into a deal long-term for him, for him to be here is exciting because he’s an amazing player.”
Quote Via Mass Live
I think it’s safe to say that Nesmith has found a home where he can make a positive impact and bring real value. Now, some Celtics fans may see this and be a little annoyed that he never developed in Boston, but I don’t think that’s the case.
The Celtics were already incredibly deep at guard and overall just had a stacked roster. Thus, Nesmith had to scratch and claw for any minutes he could get. Often losing out to more proven players within the rotation.
It’s a similar situation to the one Boston is dealing with right now with Payton Prichard, who could be averaging 15-plus points on a majority of other rosters, but struggles to find minutes on a loaded Celtics team.
A trade was inevitable with both sides benefiting from a change in scenery, which occurred with the Celtics making it to the Eastern Conference Finals once again. Nesmith earned himself a long-term contract and role with the Pacers.
This trade has been the best thing to happen to Nesmith in his young career. He can now establish himself as a premier 3-and-D guy and carve out a career in the NBA. He won’t ever be the top guy on a team, but he will surely be a target for continuing teams if he continues to develop.
I don’t think Celtics fans are going to lose any sleep over this. They will still be contending for an NBA Title come playoff time. But they hopefully can at least appreciate Nesmith’s growth and realize it just wasn’t the right match.
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