BOSTON – Celtics rookie marksman Aaron Nesmith on Tuesday night played in his first competitive basketball game in 342 days. It took him all of 45 seconds to shake off any shooting cobwebs that may have accumulated.
Nesmith, who hadn’t played since Jan. 8 when he was a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, entered Boston’s preseason opener in Philadelphia at the 7:07 mark of the third quarter. On just his second career offensive possession, the 21-year-old caught a pass in the left corner, took one dribble toward the wing, and knocked down step-back triple over the outstretched hand of All-Defensive First Team guard Ben Simmons.
Not a bad first impression at all.
“It was fun just getting out there to play with my teammates and play the game of basketball at a high level again,” Nesmith reflected Wednesday afternoon after returning home to Boston. “It's just something I'd been looking forward to for a long time.”
Nesmith finished the night with eight points, five rebounds (two offensive), one assist, and one block during 19 minutes of turnover-free action. His other two buckets came in the form of a put-back layup and a post-up floater, both of which were eye-catching scoring methods for a guy whom many had labeled as a sharpshooting specialist heading into the Draft after shooting 52.2 percent from deep last season at Vanderbilt.
“As time goes on, definitely trying and expand my game and expand my arsenal and just become a better basketball player,” Nesmith said when asked of the post-up shot in particular.
As time goes on, Nesmith will also grow more comfortable within the Celtics system. In the beginning, however, it may be challenging for both he and fellow rookie Payton Pritchard, who dazzled with 16 points during the exhibition opener, considering how neither of them went through the typical summer buildup that most rookies experience.
As a result, Nesmith and Pritchard are going through what Brad Stevens calls “a crash course” in Celtics knowledge, which Stevens and the rest of his coaching staff are trying to simplify for the rookies as much as possible. In the meantime, there are bound to be some minor hiccups, just like there were Tuesday night.
“There were a couple of times I called a defensive coverage or an offensive play and they looked at me sideways, they didn’t know what I was saying,” Stevens said. “So we’ll have to work on all that and try to get them a basic set of things that we can play with when they’re in.”
Despite some defensive hiccups, Jayson Tatum was impressed by Nesmith’s effort and poise during his debut performance.
“I felt like he did well last night,” Tatum said. “First NBA game, I’m sure he was nervous, but he came in and played hard. He hit some shots. And you can live with guys – no matter if it’s young guys or older guys – making mistakes, as long as they compete and the effort is there. And he always competes, and obviously he’s physically gifted and he can really shoot the ball.”
Being so physically gifted, on top being an elite shooter, is something that should help Nesmith during his transition into the NBA. He’s been working on building strength since he was in high school, and it shows both in his physique and the way in which he plays.
“It was one of the things that helped me make the biggest jump in my game; strength is very underrated,” Nesmith said. “Basketball is a very physical game, and so the stronger you can be, the easier it is. Everybody in the NBA is strong, especially when you get down low with the big 7-footers and all the post men, so you got to be able to hold your own. And so coming into the league, I was already pretty naturally gifted strength-wise, and as long as I continue to add to that, I'll be able to help my teammates on the boards and fighting down low.”
Along with building up strength, Nesmith has also been working on re-conditioning his body after being away from competitive basketball for so long.
“It's getting better every day,” he said of his endurace. “Especially with my position and role, I've got to be one of the better conditioned guys on the floor. I'm working on it every day. It's a point of emphasis for me, alongside a lot of other things. But I just want to be one of the best conditioned on the floor so if I ever need to play for long periods of time with no rest, I'm able to do it while also playing at a high level, and not letting my game slide down because I get tired.”
Nesmith’s hard work leading up to his debut paid off, as he displayed his well-rounded scoring ability and physicality, all while making limited mistakes. For the 21-year-old, he was just happy to be back on the court again after experiencing such a long and unusual hiatus between the end of his college career and the beginning of his professional journey.
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December 17, 2020 at 05:23AM
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Nesmith Reflects on Debut: ‘I'd Been Looking Forward to It’ - Celtics.com
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