Aaron Nesmith Is Making Steady Improvements For The Boston Celtics

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Aaron Nesmith Is Making Steady Improvements For The Boston Celtics




Chris Grenham
SportsMoney




Boston Celtics' Aaron Nesmith (26) looks to pass around Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) during ... [+] ASSOCIATED PRESS




The 2020-21 NBA season is far from normal, and the countless irregularities have put rookies in a rather difficult position. Being a first-year player traditionally is tough enough, but with no summer league, a condensed training camp and a shortened preseason, this year presents a host of new obstacles. Patience is a must, no matter how badly fans want immediate gratification.

The Boston Celtics drafted Vanderbilt sharpshooter Aaron Nesmith with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. His second and final season with the Commodores was cut short due to a season-ending foot injury, meaning when Nesmith walked into the first day of training camp at the Auerbach Center, he hadn’t played high-level 5-on-5 in roughly 12 months.

With that in mind, it wasn’t a surprise to see Nesmith struggle during his first few stints of NBA action, particularly on the defensive end. While some Boston fans may have already pressed the panic button, the Celtics staff has been patient and consistently preached confidence whenever asked about the rookie. That patience is beginning to pay off, as Nesmith has looked increasingly comfortable on both sides of the floor. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s certainly progress. Brad Stevens had only good things to say about the 21-year-old when asked about his defensive performance on Monday night.

“He’s actually done a pretty darn good job all the way through,” Stevens said of Nesmith. “He got back-cut tonight, but he’s into the body, he’s tough, he’s physical, he stays in place, he got the deflection in transition. I just think he has a chance to be a good defender and he’s worked really hard at learning that.”

Nesmith went 3-of-5 from deep during his 19 minutes in Boston’s 119-103 win vs. Chicago, posting nine points and one rebound. It was his second consecutive game with three 3-pointers, and his first string of games with at least 17 minutes, something Stevens says will go a long way in helping him find some rhythm.

“I think the game is slowing down a little bit on the (offensive end), so that’s a good thing,” Stevens said. “But it’s not fair to assess a guy or to judge a guy based on limited game reps from the outside. You know, obviously, we get a chance to see guys every day, but it’s hard to get a rhythm or for the game to slow down when you’re not playing lots of minutes in a row or you’re not getting those opportunities. So I think that it helps that he’s had a couple of games here where he’s played a little bit more.”

Think about the progress that Romeo Langford, Tacko Fall, Tremont Waters and others have made since they came into training camp last season. They needed to play heavy minutes with the Maine Red Claws at times to assist with their development, and it was extremely beneficial. Nesmith doesn’t have that luxury, in addition to the lack of preseason and summer league action. He knows it hasn’t been easy, but he approaches his situation with diligence.

“It's been a journey,” Nesmith said Monday night. “It's been tough at times for sure, but just trying to expedite my learning curve and make sure I'm always locked in. Always making sure I’m taking advantage of every opportunity. And so even in the games where I don’t play or don’t play as much, just making sure that I’m mentally locked into the things that we’re doing as a team so whenever I come in, it’s like I haven’t sat out at all.”

Nesmith has shown an improved awareness on the defensive end, something he struggled with in the early going. There’s still a ways to go, but his rotations are sharper and his off-ball positioning is increasingly better. They aren’t necessarily improvements that will show up in the box score, but they’re vital in rounding out his game. Nesmith, however, says there isn’t one particular area he needs to work on, but rather his all-around skill set.

“I wouldn’t point it at one thing,” Nesmith said. “I would just tell you that it’s becoming a better basketball player. You know, working on my game as a whole. Making sure I was comfortable and just trying to make the game slow down and make it easier for me.”

The situational context at play is important to keep in mind when discussing Nesmith’s early-season performance. He’ll continue to improve with time, and we’re already seeing that happen one month into the season. That continued development should pay major dividends for Boston in a covid-19-riddled season where depth is as important as ever.


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