In his second year with the Indiana Pacers, small forward Aaron Nesmith enjoyed the best campaign of his career. The South Carolina native appeared in 72 games and started 47 of them. On the year, Nesmith averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Additionally, he shot 49.6% from the field and 41.9% from the three-point line. All these numbers are career highs for Nesmith.
However, not all went well for Nesmith during the 2023-24 season. In a recent interview, Nesmith spoke about Paul George, then with the Los Angeles Clippers, and said he was the most difficult player he had to guard, saying "he gave me the work" regarding a particular matchup against George.
This is a funny story about a clippers pacers matchup and getting the Paul George assignment lol pic.twitter.com/iDSNeabogK
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) July 17, 2024
"So we played the Clippers second half of the season in Indiana. My job last year was guard one of the two best players on the team, so I had the Paul George assignment," Nesmith said.
"So I'm watching film before the game with my coach and he was like 'Make him take these shots. You're not going to stop him, but we're going to contain him. Try and make him take these shots, these tough twos.'"
"The game starts. I'm watching him. He gets the ball off the tip. He's on the right wing. He catches the ball, does a little move, looks like he's trying to pass. And he's like 'nah,' shoots it. I'm right there. Didn't even touch the rim."
"Man, he gave me 45 . It was a long day."
Nesmith is still an important player for the Pacers in the long run
Despite failing the difficult task of guarding George, it is clear that Nesmith provides a lot of value to the Pacers. The Vanderbilt alum began his career with the Boston Celtics after the team drafted him with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Despite showing some promise, Nesmith never became a mainstay in the rotation.
During the 2022 offseason, the Celtics traded Nesmith to Indiana as part of the Malcolm Brogdon. Initially considered a throw-in piece, Nesmith has blossomed as a member of the Pacers. And in October 2023, he a signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension to remain with the team through 2027.
Following Nesmith's contract extension, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about what the 24-year-old brings to the team. Carlisle praised Nesmith's development on both sides of the ball, saying "he's getting better all the time."
Rick Carlisle on Aaron Nesmith's growth: "There's a reason we wanted to sign him and have him be one of our longterm pieces. His development both offensively and defensively is on the come. He's getting better all the time." #Pacers pic.twitter.com/NqZxgiMLzk
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) October 29, 2023
Although George may have gotten the best of Nesmith this time around, the Pacers forward is constantly improving. It will be interesting to see how Nesmith gets his revenge against the new Philadelphia 76ers star.