The Celtics saw something in Aaron Nesmith that convinced them to make him a first-round pick. He fulfilled that potential for one game, at least, in front of the world basketball stage Wednesday night.
Nesmith had the best game of his career not for Boston, but for the Indiana Pacers, as he scored 30 points in a dramatic overtime win over the New York Knicks to steal Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Indiana largely erased a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead because of unconscious shooting from Nesmith. The 25-year-old scored 11 points in the last 51 seconds of regulation. That set the stage for an incredible, almost impossible-to-believe buzzer-beater from Tyrese Haliburton to send the game to overtime.
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Nesmith’s 30 points came on 9-for-13 shooting, with the Vanderbilt product making eight of his nine 3-pointers, including a 4-for-4 barrage in the final two minutes of regulation.
“This one’s at the top,” Nesmith told CBS Sports after the dramatic 138-135 win. “Since I’ve been in the NBA, I’ve never had a game like this. I don’t know if I’ve ever made eight 3s in a game.”
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Nesmith added: “It’s probably the best feeling in the world. I love it when that basket feels like an ocean, and anything you toss up, you feel like it’s going to go in.”
Nesmith’s career path hasn’t been a straight line to starring in the biggest game of the season. The Celtics drafted Nesmith with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He never got much run in Boston, though. Nesmith averaged 14 minutes per night in his rookie season, and he saw his playing time cut even more the next season.
“There were a lot of days and a lot of nights where I was like, ‘Why did you guys even pick me if you’re not gonna use me?'” Nesmith told the Indy Star in 2023.
It was no surprise when he was included as part of a blockbuster trade in July of 2022, with Boston sending him as the headliner of a multi-player package and a first-round pick to Indiana for Malcolm Brogdon.
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“It was definitely a tough situation, but during the time I learned a lot about myself. I learned how hard it is to stay in the league and what it takes to be a quality basketball player in this league. It definitely helped me grow to the player I am today.”
The Pacers eventually extended Nesmith on a three-year, $33 million deal, a contract that might have paid off in full Wednesday night alone.
The trade proved to be a tremendous one for the Pacers. Nesmith has averaged at least 25 minutes per game in each of his three seasons with Indy. He has been a consistent role player for a team that is on the precipice of an NBA Finals appearance.
While the Celtics could theoretically benefit from having Nesmith, especially under that contract, right now. But you can’t say it didn’t ultimately work out for Boston, either. Brogdon wasn’t a great fit, and the Celtics eventually traded him, opening a path to acquire Jrue Holiday. That exchange helped put Boston over the top en route to a 2024 NBA title.
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