Boston Celtics: 1 stud and 1 dud from C’s blowout victory against Houston

Boston Celtics dud: Aaron Nesmith

Is it a bit unfair to bestow the moniker of C’s dud of the game to a player who received just over six minutes of playing time on the night? Perhaps.

However, those who logged substantial time on the court (15+ minutes) played so well that we couldn’t convince ourselves to list anyone from this aforementioned category here and, frankly, there is some justification for why Aaron Nesmith is listed here.

This year has not gone the way in which many expected it to for Boston’s second-year wing. Putting forth an impressive end to his rookie campaign last year and a stellar preseason this year fans anticipated a rather sizeable increase in his role and, in turn, even better production by the former lottery selection in 2021-22.

Instead, the 22-year-old has only seen his minutes dwindle as the season has progressed, which means it’s imperative that he looks to put forth his best efforts and production when he happens to stumble upon playing time.

Monday, he did not manage to truly take advantage of his garbage time action with just over six minutes remaining on the night.

Now yes, he did go out and nail his first two attempts from the floor within the first 15 seconds he was in the game, which was a pleasant sight to see for Boston Celtics fans.

However, these would be the only shots he’d make.

He’d then go on to follow this hot start off with a cold finish overall, missing his next three attempts (all of which were rather makeable) while also struggling to hold on to the ball (coughed up two possessions) and stay with his assignment on the defensive end (committed two fouls).

Though him hitting his shots right off the bat was certainly a good sign, he needs to prove capable of either possessing the capability of keeping the hot shooting going or, at the very least, impacting the game in other ways.

Against Houston, he failed to do either.