Aaron Nesmith remained a mystery to Celtics fans for the first two months of the regular season.
Overall choice number 14 played just 111 minutes in total in December and January, with most of the time going on to big wins and losses. The six-foot-tall rookie had been a sniper at Vanderbilt, but it was evident that his defensive edge deficits in those limited passages at the start of the season kept him away most nights.
Brad Stevens had many other more experienced alternatives on the bench, so Nesmith would have to wait his turn, while the coach looked elsewhere for more defense reliability.
However, amid growing Boston injuries, uneven play and shallow depth on the wing, Stevens turned to the rookie this week, starting Sunday in Washington, making Nesmith the first man to leave the bench. He played 28 minutes in that defeat and hasn’t looked back since, adding more than 20 minutes of action in all four Celtics games this week, despite suffering a sharp drop in the fourth quarter of Friday’s victory over Atlanta Hawks, who briefly sent him to the locker room.
“I was told he could come back,” said Stevens when asked about his condition. “I don’t know what that means, except that they felt good enough to let him come back. They would not have done so if there were any long-term concerns. So, this is good news. “
Nesmith finished with three points and four rebounds in the win, but his positive impact went beyond a pedestrian box scoring line (he had a + -10). Offensively, Nesmith has been a low-use option for Boston so far, despite his increased minutes, averaging just 3.5 shots per game this week, despite playing almost 25 minutes per game. Surprisingly, his attack is not what led to the additional run for former sniper Vanderbilt. Instead, Nesmith made a surprise contribution that translated into fantastic results for the team when he is on the court.
The Celtics beat their opponents by 42 points during the 99 minutes he played last week, marking a positive / negative mark in all four games, although Boston won 2-2 as a team during that period. This translates to a net rating of +22, which is by far the highest mark on the list during that limited sample size.
The reason for this stellar brand? Opponents are scoring just 93 points for every 100 possession against Boston when Nesmith was on the field last week, giving the Celtics the defensive wing support off the bench that they lost throughout the year, with Romeo Langford away.
Whether chasing stray balls, running across screens or returning to defense, Nesmith quickly gained a prominent place in Boston’s shorthanded rotation and his teammates’ respect for his energetic game.
“How hard he competes,” said Jayson Tatum when asked about what stands out in Nesmith. “Knowing that there are ups and downs when his number is called, but knowing that we can trust him to make the right move and compete as hard as he can. Obviously, he is super talented. And how hard he plays, that’s what really stands out for me on both ends. “
Tristan Thompson admired how hard Nesmith worked to familiarize himself with Boston’s schemes after looking lost in his first appearances.
“Man, the child works, the child works,” said Thompson. “This is what you love to see from your young people. Payton (Pritchard) also works a lot. There are two guys who are there as soon as they turn on the installation lights and catch up on work. And you see, from the way Aaron is playing, he is fierce. He is outside. He’s getting over the screens. He’s diving to lose balls. He’s fighting the big ones. He is making multiple efforts to defend hedges.
“You love that. I think he has to keep doing this. Because this is how you get your minutes, especially when you’re playing behind the All-Stars in the wing,” added Thompson. “You have to do a few different things that can shoot down, and obviously we know he could shoot all three. “
In the midst of a roller coaster ride for a season full of lineup inconsistencies in addition to Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Stevens is still trying to find the right lineup combinations and players he can count on. Although Nesmith was thrown into the fire a few times earlier this year to see what he can do, things have now changed. He is gaining his minutes strictly due to his game and has a good chance of holding on to those opportunities over Semi Ojeleye, Grant Williams and Javonte Green, even when the Boston defense is healthy.
Whether he will be able to maintain that consistency remains to be seen, but what looked like a potential redshirt year for the rookie has suddenly turned into a sixth man role at the border. The advantage of scoring is there if Nesmith gets more aggressive with his opportunities, but for now, the rookie surprised everyone with his defensive transformation. It is far from perfect, but it is better than most alternatives at the Boston bank at the moment.