Aaron Nesmith’s breakout this postseason should come as no surprise. The Indiana Pacers wing was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 14th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft for a reason. But when his sophomore season at Vanderbilt was cut short by a stress fracture in his foot, some questions arose regarding his ability to bounce back once he made it to the NBA.
After struggling to see the floor during his first two seasons as a pro, Nesmith was traded to the Indiana Pacers in a package that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics. NBA fans and analysts around the country were shocked by the lack of trade compensation that Indiana received — Bleacher Report even put out a viral tweet about it. However, all that chatter only served as motivation for Nesmith.
The past two seasons were an entirely different story for the former Commodore. He averaged over 12 points per game while shooting more than 40% from 3-point range. He’s also frequently tasked with defending the opposing team’s best guard. As impressive as these numbers are for a role player in the NBA, he kicked his game into a whole new gear during the Pacers’ 2025 playoff run.
Throughout the postseason so far, Nesmith is averaging 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 “stocks” (steals and blocks) per game while shooting a whopping 50.0% from deep. Nesmith also led his team to one of the most improbable comeback victories in playoff history, rallying back from as many as 17 points against the Knicks. He scored 30 points and went 8-for-9 from beyond the arc, racking up 20 points and six 3’s in the fourth quarter alone. This set a record for the most 3-pointers made in any single quarter of a playoff game since 1998, and it served as a much-needed spark to set the tone against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Since then, Indiana went on to win three out of the next five games against New York and officially advanced to the NBA Finals.
Nesmith’s performance over the past few weeks has shown the basketball world that he is one of the most underrated players in the league. Let’s take a look at what makes his game so special by highlighting three key skill sets.
Turbo trigger
To the average NBA fan, Nesmith’s most important trait is his shooting. He shot 50.7% from the field, 43.1% from long range and 91.3% from the free throw line during the 2025 regular season. This would make Nesmith a member of the “50-40-90 club” — a distinguished group of only nine players in NBA history to finish a season with those percentages for field goals, 3-point field goals and free-throw shooting — if it weren’t for him only having recorded 45 games played. During the regular season, he shot 4.3 3-point attempts per game, making up 51.8% of his shot diet. In the playoffs, his attempts have jumped to 5.5 per game, with his 3-point attempt rate increasing to 55.5%.
The Pacers forward is shooting 3’s at the highest clip of any player in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, despite Indiana going the distance to make the NBA Finals. Whether his shots come in the form of the “catch-and-shoot” model from assists or stepping back behind the line, Nesmith’s shooting ability cannot be overstated. If the opposing team fails to include him in their defensive game plan, he will make them pay.
Can’t stop his drive
What fans often fail to take heed of is Nesmith’s ability to finish at the rim. While his scoring output comes predominantly from his shooting, he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket any time he wants to. His ball-handling ability and speed often go under the radar, but Nesmith possesses a quick first step to blow by his defenders. Getting to the rim is one thing, but finishing is a different story. His unique combination of speed, strength and length gives him an advantage over defenders of any size. If he’s matched up with a guard, they will simply be too small for him, and he can overpower them with physicality. If he’s matched up with a big man, he’ll keep the ball on a string and speed past them. When he’s matched up with a wing similar to his size, that’s where his finishing ability comes into play.
Nesmith holds a CraftedNBA Shot Quality value of 72.9, placing him in the 87th percentile, which shows his ability to create high-quality looks for himself off the dribble. His true shooting percentage of 64.8% falls in the 94th percentile, as he can not only create but also execute to turn these self-made shot attempts into points for his team. But not all of these tries are simply open layups. Nesmith also commands a strong footwork package that gets his defenders to jump early and fail to contest his attempts properly. He also owns a 42” vertical jump, allowing him to jump for some emphatic throw downs when he gets a full head of steam.
Engine of effort
Scoring is one thing, but Nesmith’s impact goes far beyond the box score. His 6’10 wingspan and impressive intangibles allow him to guard virtually any position on the floor. More often than not, he is matched up with the opposing team’s lead guard. For the Bucks series, it was Damian Lillard when he was healthy. Facing off against the Cavaliers, he had to put the clamps on former Commodore Darius Garland. In the conference finals, he was entrusted with the defensive assignment of Jalen Brunson, the Clutch Player of the Year. Through all of these difficult matchups, Nesmith showed that he will always go the extra mile.
Whether it’s playing 94 feet of staunch defense, closing out on an open shooter, leaking out on fastbreaks for his teammates (usually Tyrese Haliburton) to find him in transition or chasing after loose balls, Nesmith brings a different level of effort to the Pacers. Not to mention, he is one of the best screen navigators in the NBA, always managing to contest opponents’ shots.
While these stats may make it seem like Nesmith only thrives on the perimeter, the CraftedNBA stat of Rim Defense says otherwise. Defined as “the difference between the field goal percentage a player allows within 6 feet vs. what those same opponents shoot within 6 feet against all other players,” Nesmith holds a value of -11.2, landing him in the 97th percentile. To complement his interior defense, he possesses the athleticism to soar for offensive rebounds and putbacks, which is put on display in the film room.
Nesmith possesses all that an NBA team would want out of the prototypical 3-and-D wing — and more. While he doesn’t necessarily excel in any facet of the sport, his game has no holes and he simply plays winning basketball. At the end of the day, it’s a team sport, and there’s a reason why the Pacers are gearing up to play in the NBA Finals.
