Boston Celtics: 2 players that should cede minutes to Aaron Nesmith

The Boston Celtics have been moving in the right direction throughout the past week or so, winning three of their last four outings, all of which were double-digit victories while their lone loss was a last-second buzzer-beating defeat dished out by young superstar, Luka Doncic.

With their recent efforts, they now find themselves just one game under .500 at 5-6 which, on the surface, may not be all that impressive but considering where they looked to be heading just a short time ago, it’s a rather comforting sight for Cs fans to see.

Even without star wing, Jaylen Brown, Boston has managed to find some sound success as first-year head coach Ime Udoka continues to learn how to best utilize his player personnel.

However, one thing he may still be trying to figure out is how to get second-year baller, Aaron Nesmith, going.

A player who came into the 2021-22 season with a ton of hype, through the team’s first 11 games the 23-year-old has unequivocally underperformed, as the widely perceived potential scoring machine finds himself boasting lowly averages of just two points and 1.4 rebounds whilst shooting 24 percent from the field and 20 percent from long range.

While many may be under the impression that the former lottery selection could very well just be another draft bust taken by former General Manager and President of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge, we at HH are more of the belief that his lacking playing time could be a major cause for his early-season sophomore slump.

Typically speaking, a player of his skillset needs ample minutes to get into a rhythm, while a player of his age range needs time on the court and in-game action to garner confidence.

9.6 minutes a night and three separate coach’s decision DNPs is simply not sufficient enough for the Boston Celtics to try and get the most out of their high potential prospect.

Now yes, while we may be making the potential answer to this problem rather simple in saying that the wing needs to be receiving more playing time we also understand that finding a way to give him said playing time may not be so easy for them to accomplish, for there’s a strong argument that those already receiving more run on the hardwood than he is are more deserving of the minutes.

That said, we believe there’s a way in which Udoka can actually get Nesmith more time on the floor, and it starts with having him roll back on minutes for two specific players: