Boston Celtics: 3 potential surprise opening night starters

Boston Celtics potential surprise starter #2: Aaron Nesmith

Aaron Nesmith is entering his second season and may be best suited for a second unit role alongside fellow sophomore Payton Pritchard. Then again, he may be set for the biggest improvement of anyone on the team after a strong finish to the 2020-21 regular season and standout preseason performance (23 points, four assists, three rebounds) in the C’s third preseason game and second against the Orlando Magic.

That did come in a game where most of Boston’s starters were out of the lineup. In fact, Nesmith did much of his best work when Jaylen Brown was out of the lineup with a wrist injury down the stretch of last season.

Brown will be active when the Celtics take the floor opposite the Knicks, which may keep Nesmith away from seeing big minutes. Not only that, but Romeo Langford has outplayed Nesmith by and large this preseason. The climb is very much an uphill one for Nesmith.

At the end of the day, though, Nesmith’s skillset is more complementary with the ‘Jays’ because of his efficient 3-point sniping from the corners. That keeps him in the mix.