Pacers Report Cards: Grading every Pacers player at season's end
By Mueez Azfar
Aaron Nesmith
Stats: 72 Games, 27.7 MPG, 12.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 0.9 TOV, 3.3 FPG 49.6/41.9/78.1 Splits on 63.1% TS
2022-23 Stats: 73 Games, 24.9 MPG, 10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1 TOV, 3.2 FPG 42.7/36.6/83.8 Splits on 56.6% TS
Two days prior to the season, Indiana extended Aaron Nesmith for three more years to the tune of $11 million per year. At the time, this was seen as one of the most team-friendly contracts around, and after the season, it looked like highway robbery.
After his first season with Indiana, Nesmith was seen as a piece to keep around for the future, as he completely changed his perception from the Boston days and rejuvenated his career in Indiana, posting career highs across the board and finally looking like the player we saw at Vanderbilt.
Since the start of the season however, Nesmith kicked it into another year, increasing his averages across the board and raising his efficiency to elite level, with his 41.9% from deep ranking 14th in the league. Additionally, Nesmith's overall efficiency has also taken a jump, ranking 19th in the league in true shooting percentage at 63%.
Despite this, Nesmith's most valuable trait is arguably not even his shooting, but rather his defensive ability. Originally one of the few bright spots of a terrible Pacers defense in the first half of the season, Nesmith's defense has truly shined through in the second half of the season, as, along with Siakam, he led a fantastic defensive turnaround for the Pacers as they allowed fewer and fewer points per game with each passing month.
A lot of this is due to Nesmith and how his role has changed over the months. Prior to the Siakam trade, he was usually tasked with defending the opposing team's best forward, no matter how tall they were. This put him in some unfavorable positions, as he was left on an island guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo at times, who is much bigger and stronger than him.
A lot of this is due to Nesmith and how his role has changed over the months. Prior to the Siakam trade, he was usually tasked with defending the opposing team's best forward, no matter how tall they were. This put him in some unfavorable positions, as he was left on an island guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo at times, who is much bigger and stronger than him.
Since the trade however, the task of guarding big forwards has been given to Pascal Siakam, allowing Nesmith to shift to guarding the opposing team's best wing player, while Andrew Nembhard takes their best guard. This has worked wonders for Indiana, as their improvements show, and Nesmith's defensive ability is back in full swing.
Despite initial struggles following his injury against Toronto, Nesmith has mostly picked it up since and is ready to go for the playoffs, which is crucial since Indiana will need him to slow down Milwaukee's best wing players such as Khris Middleton.
Overall, Nesmith logged his second career-best season, and at only 24 years old with the extension keeping him in Indy for the foreseeable future, Aaron Nesmith will most likely remain a Pacer and fan-favorite for a while longer.