The case for Celtics starting Aaron Nesmith

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/case-celtics-having-aaron-nesmith-starting-lineup



The case for Celtics starting Aaron Nesmith



12H AGO

BY CHRIS FORSBERG
CELTICS INSIDER


What’s the biggest lesson Aaron Nesmith took away from his rookie season?

“You have to give 110 percent every single day,” said Nesmith. “And make sure you’re ready to go when your name is called.”

Which sorta helps explain why, with three minutes to play in Boston’s exhibition opener against the Orlando Magic on Monday night, Nesmith nearly catapulted himself into a row of Celtics’ assistant coaches courtside while chasing a late-game loose ball.


Nesmith, who had already helped will Boston back into the game with his 3-point shooting, somehow managed to tap the ball back into play as he hurtled towards the Celtics bench. Showcasing his full-throttle hustle, Nesmith immediately sprinted out in transition and finished a layup through two defenders to tie the game.

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Aaron Nesmith with the hustle and then the smooth finish
https://twitter.com/i/status/1445203639627358208


Sure, it was just a preseason game. But the fourth quarter was the Nesmith experience in a nutshell. One minute he’s showcasing some poised and skilled 3-point shooting, the next he’s flying around like the Tasmanian Devil pursuing loose balls and trying to simply make good things happen with energy.

That combination of sugar and spice helped Nesmith earn Brad Stevens’ trust at the end of his rookie season. Now, the 21-year-old rookie could make a strong case to be the team’s fifth starter as new head coach Ime Udoka hunts for the players who can best accentuate the talents of the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown core.


Nesmith undoubtedly still has strides to make, particularly in terms of consistency on both ends of the floor. But his shooting could create much-needed space for the Jays and his intensity would mesh well with a defensive-minded first unit.

While Nesmith is simply focused on carving out a consistent role as he enters his sophomore season, he is eager to make life easier for the Jays whenever he’s on the court with them.

"Just being able to space the floor and become a threat off the ball," said Nesmith. "Those guys, they need the ball in their hands. So the more that I can do off the ball to make life easier for them, that's just better for the team.

"Whether that's cutting, screening, sprinting around, slipping -- and then, on the other side of the floor, do sort of what I did at the end of last year and make sure that never changes. Dive on loose balls, get offensive rebounds, box out, push people out of the way, and just be physical.”

Nesmith said there wasn’t a light-switch moment last season, but his uptick in minutes was directly related to his surge in intensity. Making shots helped, too. Nesmith missed 13 of his first 16 3-pointers to start his pro career but shot 37 percent beyond the arc the rest of the way. Over the final 41 games he shot 40.2 percent from deep.

If he can bottle up what we saw in the second half of last season, it would only enhance his case to be a potential fifth starter.

The more that I can do off the ball to make life easier for them, that's just better for the team. ... Dive on loose balls, get offensive rebounds, box out, push people out of the way, and just be physical.
Nesmith on playing with Brown and Tatum

"After the All-Star break, becoming more comfortable in my role and just learning the things that the team needed me to do to help win games," said Nesmith. "And just making sure I bought into that every single day and made sure that every time my name was called I was at least able to do the same thing every day and then expand from there.”

So what can we expect from Nesmith in Year 2?

“Just a better overall basketball player, being able to make the right play, the right reads, playing with the right pace, and just making my teammates better,” said Nesmith.

It’s a tiny sample, but Brown, Tatum, and Nesmith shared the floor for 64 minutes last season. The Celtics had a robust offensive rating of 118.2 and a net rating of plus-14.6 in that span. Take away trash-time possessions and the numbers get even better, with a 125.2 offensive rating and a plus-17.7 net rating in 135 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass data.

The obvious question mark with a Nesmith-for-starter pitch is whether there’s enough overall size on the floor. In operating with three wings, it might force Tatum and Brown to defend more power forwards, something the team likely yearns to minimize given the burden they’ll be carrying on the offensive end.

But a team thin on shooting could really benefit from the threat of Nesmith with the first unit. Teams can’t cheat off him and clog the paint to deter the Jays from attacking. With teams focused on Boston’s top talent, Nesmith would be able to fly around and make hustle plays. No one will out-grit the Celtics when Smart and Nesmith are sharing the floor.

Nesmith is simply focused on playing with more consistency. It’s one thing to impact a game in the fourth quarter of a meaningless preseason game, or play full throttle in short off-the-bench shifts. It’s another challenge to do it consistently against another team’s starters.

Before returning to Boston for the start of camp, Nesmith worked out with Khris Middleton in their native South Carolina. The two both attended Porter-Gaud School in Charleston and Middleton has become a mentor of sorts for the younger Nesmith.

During his freshman year at Porter-Gaud, Nesmith worked a Middleton basketball camp and came away with his pair of shoes and a budding relationship. Now he’s truly trying to follow in Middleton's footsteps, especially after watching him win an NBA title with the Bucks last season.


And each time they work out together, Nesmith is trying to absorb as much as possible.

“Just the little nuances of the game that people don't really think about,” said Nesmith. "The little things, like how to create space in the littlest ways, whether it be footwork or using your shoulders, or even just mind games. Then, off the floor, how does he take care of his body, playing in the NBA for so long and 82 games a year? What are some things that he's doing that I'm not doing that I need to implement into my everyday routine?”

In Monday’s exhibition opener, Udoka went with veteran Juancho Hernangomez in the fifth starter spot alongside the Smart/Brown/Tatum/Williams core. It might be a hint that size is a priority in that spot. Udoka had previously noted that 35-year-old Al Horford was making a "huge case” to start given how spry he’s looked in camp.

But the Celtics are going to need shooting to get the most out of the Jays’ minutes. And whether it’s as a key piece of this core or a future trade asset, the Celtics can benefit greatly from Nesmith’s development.

Still, it's on Nesmith to force the issue and play with the consistency that makes Udoka truly consider him for a starting role.



Bob
MY NOTE:  Starter?  In his 2nd year after barely playing in the first half of his rookie year?  That'd be pretty freaking impressive.  I don't see it happening.  Ime will go with Schroder or Josh Richardson before he starts Nesmith.  That doesn't mean things can't change if JRich continues to shoot poorly (one game does not a season make) but Brad brought in veterans like Schroder and JRich and unloaded young'uns like Edwards for a reason and it wasn't so the minutes will be distributed to even younger players like Aaron Nesmith.  It is unreasonable to expect young players who weren't drafted in the top 5 or so to be starting before Year 3.  Possible, certainly, but it shouldn't be an expectation.  He's on track for where he is, Pritchard even more so, but let's remember that neither of those two players had been thoroughly scouted last year.  It starts getting harder this year and next because there'll be a lot of pro film on them for opposing scouts, players and coaches to review.  


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Nesmith is such a scraper. He had a couple of plays against Orlando that impressed me One under the basket, and saving the ball from out of bounds and getting it to his fellow player who got it down the court and a score. He shot the ball fairly well in the second hand and had a hand in bringing the team back into the game and was partly responsible for the W,

As I said the other night, I am fast becoming the head of the Aaron Nesmith fan club

I want him in the starting line up, only one game, but JRich may not have enough offense; so many young players today are also gym rats and can get hot and light it up from 3 for stretches, as we saw last night. Romeo was 2-2 from 3, while his handle and driving game is still MIA, if he develops that shot consistently it’s a good thing. 2nd game winning 3 for him, if you count SL.

This first preseason game did not dispel concerns that I have that we may not have enough shooters in our starting unit if either Dennis or Josh are in the lineup.

Having that 3rd knock down guy is not just about making life easier for the Jay's but it opens up more opportunities for RW and Marcus.  

The Orlando game looked way too familiar in the first QTR.  After Jaylen Brown went out at the 3:31 mark and Boston up 21-15, we did not score again and took a 21-20 lead after one.  How many game last year did the Celtics struggle to score points in the first QTR.   The Celtics played from behind in a lot of games last season.  

At some point I can see Nesmith in the starting lineup along with the Jay's, Smart and RW.  Aaron plays with intensity and you can see how his shooting mechanics have improved and it is mainly his footwork and how he establishes a solid base.  His defense will also continue to improve because he wants to be a solid defender and is willing to work hard to make that happen.    The best way for the Celtics to realize an accelerated level of play from Nesmith is to play him more.  I do not think Aaron will be a good shooter.  I think he will be a great shooter.

Ime will rotate different combinations into the starting unit because he has to figure out what works best.   This preseason and practice time will reveal the correct mix that he is comfortable with.   Even then the preseason does not provide an opportunity to play against top teams except for the heat.  Therefore you may see Boston start the season with a designated lineup and if the results are not favorable Ime will likely try something else just like every other coach in the NBA

I am officially on record with my preferred starting lineup and Nesmith is right there.

i think Nesmith and Pritchard are going to get more time than we think. If they continue to play aggressively, shoot well, and play hard defensively, the Celtics will be forced to play them more

I am not going to judge Richardson on this one game. He has talent, and I believe he will be a big help when needed. Schroeder really did not play that terrible, his shooting was off, for sure, but he had some terrific passes. Good things coming from him I hope. I thought Smart played a little off the other night, so it is not just the new guys

The need for shooting is why I demurred on a member's suggestion that Pritchard and Nesmith would be out of the rotation with the addition of Schroeder and Richardson. Heck, a Hauser or a Matthews ( unlikely) might grab an occasional few minutes if they can put it in the hole from deep.

jrleftfoot wrote:The need for shooting is why I demurred on a member's suggestion that Pritchard and Nesmith would be out of the rotation with the addition of Schroeder and Richardson. Heck, a Hauser or a Matthews ( unlikely) might grab an occasional few minutes if they can put it in the hole from deep.

I feel the same way.  Those two can make shots.  Both will be critical.

Meanwhile in the first preseason game Dallas went big with Porzingus and young Moses at 4-5. Mavs are clearly going for more size in the paint, tired of being the little guy/team getting bullied….

cowens/oldschool wrote:Meanwhile in the first preseason game Dallas went big with Porzingus and young Moses at 4-5. Mavs are clearly going for more size in the paint, tired of being the little guy/team getting bullied….

Cow,

Moses is strictly an inside player, even more so than RWill who at least has some mid-range shots.  Porzingis is in love with the 3.  When was the last time you saw Zinger muscle one in inside?  That's balance.  With us it would be RWill or Kanter with Horford outside.  I know some on this board are discounting Horford's contributions this year but I am going the other way.  I think he's going to be huge for us.  He'll spread the floor on offense, coordinate the defense inside and his body is fresh after playing very little last year.  Will that last?  I don't know, he could wear out/down by season end but for the first half at least I think Horford is going to be an underrated contributor.

Back to Dallas, which one of those two bigs will run?  Moses, maybe.  Moses is more of a pnr guy, and that's it.  I don't remember him running that much.  PnRs are strictly half-court plays.  Not Zinger, he doesn't run.  If Jason Kidd doesn't play Dwight Powell they won't have much running from their bigs.  In a league now designed by the league office to favor velociraptors it will be interesting to see if Dallas can succeed with a couple of non-running bigs.

Ime wants an uptempo team.  I expect them to come out of the gate like that, but will they still be uptempo in March, April, May and, hopefully, June?  That's the question.


Bob


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bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Meanwhile in the first preseason game Dallas went big with Porzingus and young Moses at 4-5. Mavs are clearly going for more size in the paint, tired of being the little guy/team getting bullied….

Cow,

Moses is strictly an inside player, even more so than RWill who at least has some mid-range shots.  Porzingis is in love with the 3.  When was the last time you saw Zinger muscle one in inside?  That's balance.  With us it would be RWill or Kanter with Horford outside.  I know some on this board are discounting Horford's contributions this year but I am going the other way.  I think he's going to be huge for us.  He'll spread the floor on offense, coordinate the defense inside and his body is fresh after playing very little last year.  Will that last?  I don't know, he could wear out/down by season end but for the first half at least I think Horford is going to be an underrated contributor.

Back to Dallas, which one of those two bigs will run?  Moses, maybe.  Moses is more of a pnr guy, and that's it.  I don't remember him running that much.  PnRs are strictly half-court plays.  Not Zinger, he doesn't run.  If Jason Kidd doesn't play Dwight Powell they won't have much running from their bigs.  In a league now designed by the league office to favor velociraptors it will be interesting to see if Dallas can succeed with a couple of non-running bigs.

Ime wants an uptempo team.  I expect them to come out of the gate like that, but will they still be uptempo in March, April, May and, hopefully, June?  That's the question.


Bob


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And how many years does AH have left? Moses is what 21, he can run and improve and has no injury history. He can certainly board and catch lobs, he’s exactly the inside presence Dallas needs.