When words like “bargain” and “surprise” are thrown around the Indiana Pacers community, the first inclination is to gravitate towards Andrew Nembhard. Rightfully so, too.
Nembhard was drafted No. 31 overall in 2022, signed a four-year, $8.6 million deal he’s still wrapping up (his extension kicks in next season), and has since emerged as one of Indiana’s most important players. Entering their second-round playoff date with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night, Nembhard is absolutely an x-factor—on both ends of the floor. He will likely check Donovan Mitchell while doing a bunch of off-ball stuff on defense, and then continue his workload as the Pacers’ third or fourth best advantage creator on offense, behind only Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and maaaybe T.J. McConnell.
Yet, while Nembhard is certainly an x-factor, he isn’t the biggest one. Nor is he the one nobody saw coming. That would be Aaron Nesmith.
Aaron Nesmith is coming off a monster series against Milwaukee
Nesmith has always been a crucial part of the Pacers’ operation. He is, basically, their only wing-sized player capable of lining up opposite other wings. Jarace Walker isn’t seasoned enough to qualify, and Ben Sheppard is more likely to guard 1s and 2s than 3s and 4s.
Three seasons into his tenure with Indiana, Nesmith hasn’t needed to prove his mettle for quite some time. Active perimeter defenders who can scale up or down the positional spectrum and knock down threes are universally valuable, often indescribably so. But the 25-year-old just delivered a steady stream of reminders about his importance during the Pacers’ first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Nobody on the team spent more time guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. And while the two-time MVP still feasted, there is value in that volume. Nesmith stayed out of dire foul trouble for most of the series, and by surviving as the primary Giannis defender, it freed up Pascal Siakam to do more of what he does best. (Though, of course, he spent plenty of time helping against Antetokounmpo himself.)
This says nothing of Nesmith's offense. He strung together a handful of bigger-scoring performances, including a 19-point detonation in the series-clinching Game 5. His three-point stroke has obvious value, but he's improved his handle, physicality, and off-ball movement enough to increase his utility inside the arc.
While he did not shoot particularly well on drives in the first round, his heady attacks, replete with plenty of shoulder action, helped keep Milwaukee's defense scrambling. For good measure, Nesmith boarded more offensive rebounds for the series than anyone else on the Pacers. (Grabbing friendly misfires has long been an underappreciated part of his game.
The Pacers will lean on Nesmith heavily vs. the Cavs
Nesmith's importance to the Pacers will only grow in Round 2. The Cavs offense is far more dynamic than a Bucks team down, for the most part, its second-best offensive player.
Nembhard will probably get the Donovan Mitchell assignment, so that he can continue to wreak havoc away from the ball, as the ever-astute Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote recently explained.
That will leave Nesmith to take on Darius Garland, another All-Star who is generally the more dynamic passer and overall table-setter. But he will also see time on Mitchell himself. And Evan Mobley. And Max Strus. And De'Andre Hunter.
This is the most valuable aspect of Nesmith's game. At 6'5", he is somehow long and strong enough to defend up and down the positional spectrum. Just look at the percentage of time he spent guarding the 1 through 4 positions this season (via BBall Index):
- Point Guard: 18.2 percent
- Shooting Guard: 31.0 percent
- Small Forward: 22.3 percent
- Power Forward: 20.8 percent
Calling this standout doesn’t even begin to tell the story. Among every NBA player to log at least 1,000 minutes, only Jimmy Butler and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched Nesmith’s positions-defended distribution.
Aaron Nesmith is one of the NBA's biggest bargains
Getting this much value out of Nesmith is not something anyone saw coming. He was fine during his debut campaign in Indy after coming over as part of the Malcolm Brogdon trade, but many wondered whether giving him the three-year, $33 million extension in the fall of 2023 was the right call.
So much for that.
Nesmith has two years left on that deal, which will pay him a flat rate of $11 million in 2025-26, and in 2026-27. This means that, over the life of his contract, he will never account for even 8 percent of the salary cap. That is beyond bonkers value when you consider all he does defensively, and when you also factor in that nobody else over the past two seasons has matched his efficiency on twos (58.4 percent) and threes (42.3 percent) while attempting as many shots.
This transcends the concept of a bargain. With all he’s doing for the Pacers, including when it matters most, Nesmith has officially entered best-contract-in-the-league territory.
Dan Favale is a Senior NBA Contributor for FanSided and National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.