Aaron Nesmith

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Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith (51688510120) (cropped).jpg
Nesmith with the Boston Celtics in 2021
No. 26 – Boston Celtics
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1999-10-16) October 16, 1999 (age 22)
Charleston, South Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolPorter-Gaud
(Charleston, South Carolina)
CollegeVanderbilt (2018–2020)
NBA draft2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentBoston Celtics
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Aaron Joshua Nesmith (born October 16, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Early life and high school career[]

Nesmith attended Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina beginning in the fifth grade and was first called up to the varsity basketball team as an eighth-grader. As a sophomore, he won the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Class 3A state title as his team's leading scorer.[1] Nesmith led Porter-Gaud to two more Class 3A state championships in his final two seasons.[2] As a senior, he averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game and was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year for his success in basketball and academics. He left high school as a three-time SCISA Class 3A player of the year.[3]

Nesmith did not receive offers from any high major NCAA Division I programs until he was a senior, but he began drawing more attention after an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina.[4] He was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports and committed to Vanderbilt over offers from Florida, South Carolina, Harvard, Virginia Tech, and Columbia.[5]

College career[]

In his freshman season for Vanderbilt, Nesmith assumed an important role after Darius Garland suffered a season-ending injury and Simisola Shittu underachieved.[6] He started in a majority of his games and averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, leading the Commodores in scoring in conference play.[7] On February 18, 2019, Nesmith was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week following two career games. He scored a season-high 26 points against Florida and posted a double-double of 24 points and a season-high 14 rebounds against Auburn.[8]

Nesmith made his sophomore season debut on November 6, 2019, scoring 25 points, including seven three-pointers, in a win over Southeast Missouri State.[9] In the following week, he scored a career-high 34 points, hitting seven three-pointers, in an overtime loss to Richmond. Nesmith made four straight threes in a span of only one minute and 39 seconds.[10] On December 6, Nesmith was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list.[11] On December 21, he matched his career-high of 34 points and connected on seven three-pointers in a victory over UNC Wilmington.[12] Nesmith scored 29 points and made eight three-pointers, the best mark of his career, on January 4, 2020, as his team lost to SMU in overtime.[13] On January 11, 2020, it was initially announced that Nesmith would miss the remainder of the season with a right foot injury that he suffered in a loss to Auburn. In 14 games, he averaged 23 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, shooting 52.2 percent from three-point range. Nesmith was the fifth-leading scorer in the NCAA Division I and averaged the most points by a Vanderbilt player since Tom Hagan in the 1968–1969 season.[14] He had been on pace to have one of the best three-point shooting seasons in college basketball history.[15] However, after having surgery on January 28, Nesmith indicated that he might return before the end of the season.[16] Nesmith did not return, and after the end of the season declared for the 2020 NBA draft. [17]

Professional career[]

Boston Celtics (2020–present)[]

Nesmith was selected with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.[18] On November 24, 2020, the Boston Celtics signed Nesmith to a four-year, $16.5 million rookie contract including team options in the third and fourth year.[19] With fellow rookie teammate, Payton Pritchard, absorbing many of injured Kemba Walker's minutes, it was difficult for Nesmith to crack the regular rotation for the first few months of the season. With injuries and Covid protocols plaguing the Celtics all season, extended absences from Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker, and other key players gave Nesmith enough opportunities to showcase not only his shooting capabilities, but also his gritty hustle and winning attitude.[20] By April 23, 2021, coach Brad Stevens had seen enough from the rookie to warrant consistent rotation playing time to which he hovered around 20 minutes per game for the rest of the regular season.[21] On April 28, 2021, Nesmith put on a show with multiple career highs including 15 points, 9 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in a winning effort against the Charlotte Hornets.[22] He continued this momentum into the next two games where he eclipsed, and then matched his career high with back to back 16 point performances.[23]

He played for the Celtics in the 2021 NBA summer league.[24]

Career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA[]

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Boston 46 1 14.5 .438 .370 .786 2.8 .5 .3 .2 4.7
Career 46 1 14.5 .438 .370 .786 2.8 .5 .3 .2 4.7

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Boston 5 0 15.0 .278 .286 1.000 2.6 .2 .2 .2 3.2
Career 5 0 15.0 .278 .286 1.000 2.6 .2 .2 .2 3.2

College[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Vanderbilt 32 19 29.0 .392 .337 .825 5.5 1.4 .7 .6 11.0
2019–20 Vanderbilt 14 14 35.7 .512 .522 .825 4.9 .9 1.4 .9 23.0
Career 46 33 31.0 .442 .410 .825 5.3 1.3 .9 .7 14.7

References[]

  1. ^ Mansfield, Frankie (November 9, 2017). "Porter-Gaud's Lanford and Nesmith: From ghost stories to championships". Moultrie News. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  2. ^ Shelton, David (February 24, 2018). "Porter-Gaud boys three-peat as SCISA Class AAA state champions". The Post and Courier. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  3. ^ "Porter-Gaud's Aaron Nesmith named Gatorade SC Player of the Year". WCSC-TV. March 8, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Miller, Andrew (December 8, 2017). "Porter-Gaud basketball star Aaron Nesmith defining student-athlete 'in every sense of the word'". The Post and Courier. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Aaron Nesmith Recruit Interests".
  6. ^ Bishop, Chad (February 17, 2019). "Nesmith developing into star for Vanderbilt". 247Sports. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  7. ^ "Aaron Nesmith". Vanderbilt University Athletics. May 4, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  8. ^ "Aaron Nesmith Named SEC Co-Freshman Of The Week". Vanderbilt University Athletics. February 18, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  9. ^ Schneider, Max (November 7, 2019). "Out with the old: Vanderbilt's win shows promise with Stackhouse at the helm". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  10. ^ Sparks, Adam (November 14, 2019). "Vanderbilt falls to Richmond in OT despite career nights from Aaron Nesmith, Saben Lee". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Gallagher, Michael (December 6, 2019). "Vandy's Nesmith named to National POY watch list". NashvillePost.com. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Hinchman, Brian (December 21, 2019). "Nesmith powers Vanderbilt past UNC Wilmington, 88-73". Associated Press. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  13. ^ Gentry, Jack (January 4, 2020). "Nesmith's big night takes a backseat to another heartbreaking loss". A to Z Sports Nashville. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "Vanderbilt's Aaron Nesmith (foot) likely done for season". ESPN. January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  15. ^ Larson, Cody (January 15, 2020). "Following injury, Aaron Nesmith's season deserves more praise". Busting Brackets. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Norlander, Matt (February 5, 2020). "Court Report: Murray State is still thriving even after losing NBA Rookie of the Year favorite Ja Morant". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Boone, Kyle (March 26, 2020). "2020 NBA Draft: Vanderbilt star Aaron Nesmith, a projected first-rounder, declares and intends to hire agent". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Bilodeau, Kevin (November 18, 2020). "Porter-Gaud alum Aaron Nesmith taken in 1st round of NBA Draft by Boston Celtics". Live 5 News. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  19. ^ "Celtics Sign Nesmith, Pritchard". nba.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  20. ^ "WATCH: Celtics rookie Aaron Nesmith's energy and effort earn him a role". April 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "Aaron Nesmith 2020-21 Game Log".
  22. ^ "Nesmith is first Celtics rookie since Paul Pierce with 15+ points, 3+ steals/Blocks". April 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Aaron Nesmith 2020-21 Game Log".
  24. ^ "Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks Aug 8, 2021 Box Scores | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

External links[]

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