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Boston Celtics Draft: Why Aaron Nesmith makes sense for Cs

By Ian Riaf

KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 19: Aaron Nesmith #24 of the Vanderbilt Commodores drives with the ball past Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of their game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 19, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 19: Aaron Nesmith #24 of the Vanderbilt Commodores drives with the ball past Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of their game at Thompson-Boling Arena on February 19, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Strengths

Floor Spacing (and lots of it)

South Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Nesmith is a prolific scorer and could give the Boston Celtics plug and play offense off the bench. When he went down with his stress fracture injury, he was leading the SEC in scoring at a remarkable 23 points per game during his final year at Vanderbilt.

The wing understands the importance of spacing. His stroke is pure and he is capable of getting his shot off in tight windows.

He is also a rare high-volume/ high-efficiency shooter. He shot over 80 percent from the free-throw line and above 52 percent on over eight three-point attempts per game, and while the 14 game small sample size is of concern, Nesmith shot even better on NBA-distance three-pointers above the break (56.9 percent on roughly three attempts per game).

The Commodores, coached by former NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse, ran an NBA-style offense for Nesmith.

He routinely made quick flashes to the corner to receive a pass off a hammer-set, an action the old San Antonio Spurs used to run, and also executed an old Golden State Warriors side-elevator play.

His off-ball game looks NBA ready.

There is something very satisfying when watching Nesmith move into space and quickly get his shot off. It’s not Ray Allen-esque just yet, but you can tell he’s sampled parts of his game.

Aaron Nesmith seems to understand that we live in a Duncan Robinson-age of quick trigger shooting. He gets his shot off fast and almost effortlessly as he also understands analytics. On his pump fakes, Nesmith is more in tune with sidestepping into a triple rather than pulling up for a long two.

I will leave you with these efficiency bullet points to round out this section per Synergy. They are a testament to the work Nesmith has put in as an off-ball threat.

  • 95th percentile on spot-up looks
  • 97th percentile coming off screens
  • 90th percentile in transition
  • 96th percentile on handoffs

Hints of upside

While the NBA community would likely fail to consider Paul Pierce an athletic player, Boston Celtics fans have memories of him throwing down surprisingly improbable dunks.

DeMar DeRozan also has this aspect built into his game. It’s almost as if you forgot that they were athletic, or rather, they pick and choose their spots. Whatever you want to call this — maybe the Pierce or DeRozan effect –, Aaron Nesmith is a member of this club.

Some moments may surprise you, as the stereotypical shooter is usually typecast as unathletic. Nesmith may not be a super-athlete, but he’s far from unathletic as his leaping ability also came through on the defensive side of the floor.

It is premature to say that the Vanderbilt sharpshooter is a finished product.

He is 21-years-old, and while that’s old for many within the revved-up world of the NBA Draft Twitter, his athleticism is still a compelling part of his game and something that I believe a lot of scouts underrate.