Boston Celtics: 2 Cs who must capitalize on playing time during final month

Boston Celtics player No. 1) Aaron Nesmith

Essentially since 2017, when Jayson Tatum was a rookie, the majority of the team’s first-round players have struggled mightily in their first year with the Boston Celtics.

With their lone lottery pick from the 2020 NBA Draft, Aaron Nesmith, things have not managed to stray away from this unfortunate norm.

After a monstrous 2019-20 sophomore season at the collegiate level, where he posted 23 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and a whopping 52 percent from deep, the Vanderbilt product was selected 14th overall by the Cs.

Though coming into the year, many people were not expecting much from the wing, as he was fresh off a foot procedure that held him to just 14 games played in his final year with the Commodores, through his debut season in Beantown, like the team as a whole, Nesmith has been relatively underwhelming.

In 13.3 minutes per game, the 21-year-old finds himself posting averages of just 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds 37 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent shooting from deep.

Viewed as arguably the best shooter coming out of college last season, through 30 games played in the NBA it has appeared as though the man is playing coy when it comes to his best-known attribute.

Though his energy and hustle have recently been credited for the role in which he’s been able to carve out for himself within the rotation this year, should he wish to stave off any more discomforting trade rumors heading into the offseason and establish more trust between him and the coaching staff, should opportunity knock during this final stretch of the season, Nesmith must showcase more than just vigor.