Following a breakout campaign during the 2022-23 season, Nesmith continued to establish himself as an NBA rotation player in 2023-24, finishing as a borderline top-100 player in standard formats. He slotted in as the 109th-ranked player in 27.7 minutes per game, averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.9 three-pointers and 1.6 combined steals and blocks. He also played at least 70 games for the second straight season, seeing him end as a top-100 player when considering total value. Although he was a somewhat surprising fantasy asset, the lack of upside is likely to make him a hit-or-miss target when drafting this season. While he is serviceable across multiple categories, he is not someone who stands out, meaning managers could select him as a safe last-round pick or take a flier on someone with a higher ceiling. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Pacers in October of 2023.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Aaron Joshua Nesmith was born Oct. 16, 1999 in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the son of Benard and Erine Nesmith. He has a brother, Eddie, who attended Harvard and plans to go to medical school. Nesmith's advice to young people is to "Always work hard and give that little extra effort when your peers are not." For high school, he attended Porter-Gaud in Charleston and was first called up to the varsity basketball team as an eighth-grader. During his time at Porter-Gaud, he led the team to three Class 3A state championships. As a senior, he was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. For college, Nesmith attended Vanderbilt for two seasons and studied human and organizational development. Before suffering a season-ending injury in his sophomore season, Nesmith was on pace to have one of the best three-point shooting campaigns in college basketball history, converting 52.2 percent of his shots from distance. Nesmith was an immediate contributor at Vanderbilt in his freshman season, appearing in a total of 32 contests and averaging 11.0 PPG. He made his first start of the 2018-19 season Jan. 9 against Georgia, and through the remaining 19 games, he averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. His season high of 26 points came Feb. 13 against Florida, and he put up 24 points and 14 rebounds in the very next game against Auburn. Nesmith picked up right where he left off in his sophomore season, averaging 23.0 points in the first 14 games to place himself among the nation's top scorers. He set a new career high with 34 points against Richmond on Nov. 14 and later matched that total against UNC-Wilmington on Dec. 21. His season unfortunately ended due to a foot injury in January that cost him Vanderbilt's final 18 games. The 6-6 wing had been shooting 52.2 percent from beyond the arc prior to the injury -- a skill that drew the attention of NBA scouts. He officially turned pro in late-March.
Ends productive season in loss
FIndiana Pacers
May 28, 2024
Nesmith logged 14 points (4-11 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 5-6 FT), six rebounds, an assist and a steal over 35 minutes during Monday's 105-102 loss to Boston in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
ANALYSIS Nesmith posted career highs in every major category this season, putting up 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 27.7 minutes. After signing an extension at the beginning of the season, the 24-year-old will likely return to the Pacers next season and look to expand his role with the team.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2023
2022
2021
2020
Stat Review
How does Aaron Nesmith compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
63.1%
Effective Field Goal %
60.6%
3-Point Attempt Rate
52.6%
Free Throw Rate
21.6%
Offensive Rebound %
3.6%
Defensive Rebound %
12.1%
Total Rebound %
7.8%
Assist %
6.7%
Steal %
1.4%
Block %
2.0%
Turnover %
7.3%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
22.9
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.8
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Pacers Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Aaron Nesmith was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Aaron Nesmith See More
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NBA DFS picks for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals include Pascal Siakam, who reached the 20-point mark in his last five playoff games including a high of 28 in the last outing with the Celtics.
Dan Bruno looks at Thursday's Game 2 between the Pacers and Celtics, providing advice to fantasy managers looking to play in DraftKings DFS contests.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
Following a couple of unproductive seasons in Boston, Nesmith turned things around last year, putting up career-high numbers across the board for the Pacers. In 24.9 minutes per night, he averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.6 three-pointers. While this could point to an increased role for Nesmith once again this season, his path to minutes remains clouded, to say the least. The Pacers brought in Obi Toppin from New York, as well as Jarace Walker via the NBA Draft. Both players will take playing time away from Nesmith. Given he was barely a top 200 player last year, it's hard to see Nesmith being anything more than a deeper league target.
Nesmith was a non-factor during the 2021-22 season, but after being traded to Indiana, he could see a more consistent role coming his way. The Pacers are entering a rebuild and so the coaching staff are likely to experiment with their rotations throughout the season. Thus far in his career, Nesmith hasn't sniffed fantasy relevancy. While he will get an opportunity to impress this season, it is still hard to see him being anything more than a very, very deep consideration.
Despite appearing in only 46 games during his rookie season, Nesmith showed glimmers of hope. The first-round pick surprised some with extra defensive intensity and raised his three-point shooting gradually throughout the season, ending with a 37.0 percent mark from behind the arc. The problem is that Nesmith and fellow first-round pick Romeo Langford are fairly redundant wings on a squad with All-Star Jaylen Brown and defensive-stopper Marcus Smart. At some point, the Celtics will need to prioritize either Nesmith's or Langford's development, as there really are not enough minutes for both, barring injuries. Nesmith is the better floor spacer, which probably gives him an edge over Langford. Stars Brown and Jayson Tatum could use a dead-eye sniper for easy catch-and-shoot opportunities, and Nesmith has the chance to fill that role. Remember, Nesmith hit 52.2 percent of his three-point attempts during his last year at Vanderbilt. In addition to Langford, Nesmith will also battle Josh Richardson for wing minutes. Nesmith has a modest opportunity to improve on last year's 14.5 minutes per game, but a stacked depth chart is working against the NBA sophomore.
The Celtics selected Nesmith with the 14th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Nesmith's appeal was obvious: he was the best college outside shooter in the country, hitting 52.2 percent of his three-pointers during his sophomore season at Vanderbilt. That accuracy and his 4.3 made three-pointers a game led the nation before he suffered a foot injury 14 games into the season. The 6-foot-6 wing also sports a 6-foot-10 wingspan, which helped him snag 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks that same season. With Gordon Hayward leaving Boston, the Celtic bench certainly has room for a scoring wing. If Nesmith can continue his catch-and-shoot success at the pro level, he could be an ideal fit with Boston's stars. The Celtics don't need Nesmith to lead them in scoring. But they can certainly use some scoring off the bench and complimentary pieces to play alongside Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown. A strong 3-and-D player like Nesmith could quickly earn minutes. A team can never have too many shooters. With Romeo Langford injured and Marcus Smart permanently in the starting lineup, Nesmith could be Boston's first scorer off the bench. Nesmith has the potential to lead a sturdy second unit that includes veterans Jeff Teague and Tristan Thompson.
More Fantasy News
Good to go
FIndiana Pacers
May 12, 2024
Nesmith (shoulder) is available for Sunday's Game 4 against the Knicks, Tony East of SI.com reports.
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Iffy for Game 4
FIndiana Pacers
Shoulder
May 11, 2024
Nesmith is questionable for Sunday's Game 4 against New York with right shoulder soreness.
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Quiet again Wednesday
FIndiana Pacers
May 8, 2024
Nesmith totaled six points (2-7 FG, 2-6 3Pt), one rebound, two assists and one steal over 34 minutes during Wednesday's 130-121 loss to the Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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Passive performance in loss
FIndiana Pacers
April 30, 2024
Nesmith registered seven points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist, three blocks and one steal across 27 minutes during Tuesday's 115-92 loss to the Bucks in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
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Pops for 15 points in loss
FIndiana Pacers
April 12, 2024
Nesmith accumulated 15 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 5-5 FT) and six rebounds over 33 minutes during Friday's 129-120 loss to the Cavaliers.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Hits minimum game threshold
FIndiana Pacers
April 1, 2024
Nesmith logged his 65th appearance in Friday's victory over the Lakers, officially meeting the league's games-played requirement to be eligible for regular-season awards.
ANALYSIS Nesmith is a dark-horse candidate to receive NBA All-Defensive Team votes, though likely as a fringe candidate for third-team honors. Nesmith ranks in the 84th percentile by limiting opponents to 44.4 percent shooting while contesting in the 85th percentile among qualifiers this season.