Just to call it like it is, Aaron Nesmith has mostly been a disappointment for the Indiana Pacers this season when he's on the court. In 37 games, he has averaged 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 38.7% from the field and 35.2% from deep in a career-high 29.5 minutes.
These numbers aren't necessarily bad on their own (outside of his shooting percentages), but a lot was expected out of the Vanderbilt alum this season in a bigger role. And for the most part, he hasn't lived up to that.
However, in Tuesday night's game against the Sacramento Kings, Nesmith had one of his best games of the season. And more importantly, he did it without Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell.
Aaron Nesmith was a bucket-getter against the Kings
In the loss, Nesmith scored a game-high 29 points on 10-for-22 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists, and recorded one block.
Not only did the South Carolina native prove he can step up when the Pacers need him to, but he also did a fantastic job of creating his own shot, which is one of his biggest flaws as an NBA player.
Of his 10 field goals made, only two of them were off catch-and-shoots. He was great at putting the ball on the ground and finding his own shot, particularly inside the arc. Nesmith essentially lived in the mid-range against Sacramento because he constantly drove inside once he had the ball in his hands and didn't force any bad shots (for reference, he shot just 2-for-7 from deep in the game).
Throughout his entire time in Indiana so far, Nesmith has been tasked with essentially being a 3-and-D player. His biggest priority is to shoot some threes off a setup from Tyrese Haliburton, Nembhard, or whoever, and bring a lot of energy on defense.
To be fair, he is fantastic at what he does, and he may even be the best 3-and-D player in the NBA, but it was fair to wonder how much more he had to his game. And against the Kings, he made it clear that he has a lot more to bring to the table.
Nesmith showed a lot of aggressiveness and versatility as a scorer on Tuesday. And while he's not likely to be forced back into that spot too often moving forward, the Pacers should feel confident knowing that he can pull this out of his bag when needed.