Aaron Nesmith

Aaron Nesmith

25-Year-Old ForwardF
Indiana Pacers
2024 Fantasy Outlook
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
RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
#139
ADP
$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.

Plays key role despite injury
FIndiana Pacers
May 27, 2025
Nesmith accumulated 16 points (5-9 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, one assist and two steals across 32 minutes during Tuesday's 130-121 win over the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
ANALYSIS
Nesmith played through an ankle sprain suffered during the Game 3 loss, scoring in double digits for the fifth time in the past six games. He continues to play a key role on both ends of the floor, typically tasked with defending the opposition's primary assets. Through four games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Nesmith has averaged 16.5 points, 1.5 steals and 3.3 three-pointers in 32.5 minutes per contest.
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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 %
65.3%
 
Effective Field Goal %
61.7%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
51.5%
 
Free Throw Rate
21.1%
 
Offensive Rebound %
3.7%
 
Defensive Rebound %
13.9%
 
Total Rebound %
8.9%
 
Assist %
6.6%
 
Steal %
1.3%
 
Block %
1.4%
 
Turnover %
7.3%
 
Usage %
17.4%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
21.2
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.9
 
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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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Average Fantasy Points
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.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Aaron Nesmith See More
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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
Will play in Game 4
FIndiana Pacers
May 27, 2025
Nesmith (ankle) has been cleared to play in Tuesday's game against the Knicks, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
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Iffy for Game 4
FIndiana Pacers
Ankle
May 26, 2025
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said that Nesmith will be listed as questionable for Tuesday's matchup with the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals due to a right ankle sprain, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
ANALYSIS
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Returns to game Sunday
FIndiana Pacers
May 25, 2025
Nesmith (ankle) is back in Sunday's Game 3 against the Knicks, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
ANALYSIS
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Heads to locker room Sunday
FIndiana Pacers
Ankle
May 25, 2025
Nesmith went back to the locker room during the third quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks on Sunday due to an apparent ankle injury, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
ANALYSIS
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Catches fire in comeback win
FIndiana Pacers
May 21, 2025
Nesmith generated 30 points (9-13 FG, 8-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 39 minutes of Wednesday's 138-135 overtime win against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Game-time call for Game 4
FIndiana Pacers
May 27, 2025
Nesmith is dealing with an ankle injury and should be considered questionable to play in Game 4 against the Knicks on Tuesday, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
ANALYSIS
Nesmith sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Knicks, and while he was able to return to Sunday's game in the fourth quarter, he was still experiencing pain Monday. If he's unable to go for Game 4 on Tuesday, then Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard would be options to replace him.
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