When the Indiana Pacers face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, two of the most explosive offenses in the Association will go head-to-head. Moreover, two of the deepest teams in the Eastern Conference will trust their respective supporting casts to shine under pressure.
Thankfully for Indiana, there's an underrated and emerging scoring threat who's ready and willing to answer the call: Aaron Nesmith.
Nesmith, 25, has quietly emerged as one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. He finished the 2024-25 regular season averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.9 three-point field goals made per game, shooting at a clip of .507/.431/.913.
Nesmith compiled an eFG% of .617 in 2024-25, which was up from his already remarkable eFG% of .606 from the 2023-24 campaign.
The 2025 NBA Playoffs have provided the perfect platform to test just how ready Nesmith is for the moment. He's responded magnificently, translating his efficiency with an eFG% of .689 and increasing his volume to 16.8 points per game over the Pacers' past four outings.
After helping to close out the Milwaukee Bucks with his best game yet, Nesmith has made it clear that he's ready for the Cavaliers—a team that hasn't found an answer for him yet.
Aaron Nesmith emerging as Pacers' ultimate weapon
Nesmith played two games against the Cavaliers in 2024-25, each time finding success. He scored 10 points in just 14 minutes during the season finale, and posted 22 points and six rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting from the field the game prior.
Those outings were admittedly played without Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell on the court, but Nesmith hasn't slowed down since the postseason began.
Nesmith tallied just seven points in the Pacers' postseason opener, but responded with 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc in Game 2. He tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in Game 3, and came right back with another 14 points in Game 4.
With the Pacers hoping to close the series out in Game 5, Nesmith stepped up with 19 points, 12 rebounds, four offensive boards, and three assists on 8-of-15 shooting.
It was a series of games that exemplified the profound value that Nesmith provides to Rick Carlisle and the Pacers. His ability to space the floor is on par with any off-ball shooting threat in the NBA, as evidenced by the fact that he knocked down 44.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes during the regular season.
Nesmith is now also emerging as a productive rebounder who can create second chances as a wing—a strength the Pacers will need him to display against Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
The Cavaliers will admittedly enter the second-round series as heavy favorites after posting 64 wins in 2024-25. The Pacers are less than a year removed from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, however, and Nesmith just so happened to have posted 19 points in the close-out game in the second round in 2024.
The Pacers will need their stars to lead the charge, but if they do, Nesmith will be waiting in the wings to give Carlisle and company a legitimate opportunity to make another Conference Finals.