Aaron Nesmith improvements ahead of fifth season are about helping Indiana Pacers win

Nesmith is entering his fifth season

Oct 10, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) dunks the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — All Aaron Nesmith ever wants to do is help his team win. The role he holds and the player archetype he is shows everything about what his basketball aspirations truly are.

Nesmith, 25, is the fifth option for the Indiana Pacers starting five. He is rarely called upon for scoring or ball handling — he is needed for spacing and defense. So that's exactly what the South Carolina native worked on in the past, his shooting and his defense. In his early years with the blue and gold, Nesmith upped his rate of attempts from deep and his ball stopping ability.

That continued in year four as he became lethal from deep. The game slowed down for Nesmith, and he was able to mix in some efficient paint attacks thanks to his skill improvements. He was not a forgotten floor spacer — he made things happen.

"I definitely watched him. I watched some of his tape this summer. Just how aggressive he attacks closeouts and stuff like that," Pacers wing Ben Sheppard said of Nesmith. "Because he was shooting like 45% from three early on in the season, so people started closing out."

Last year, the Pacers were nearly 1.5 points per 100 possessions better with Nesmith on the floor than off. His role changed throughout the season, yet that number held up — that's the mark of a player whose main objective is to win games. He takes on a smaller role to help the starting five, and he defends like his life depends on it. Often, he's guarding the opposing team's best player.

He shot over 41% from long range last season and improved his skill guarding others once again. That led to Most Improved Players votes, which is fitting for a player who has grown every season of his career. Finally, others took notice.

His processing was noticeably better during his fourth season. He could attack in ways that he hadn't before, yet he wasn't rushed. On defense, he could recover and stay with assignments and didn't panic. He was playing at his own tempo for 48 minutes.

His fifth season is about building off of that success and continuing to be a winning player for the blue and gold. "Working on my ball handling. Working on making the right reads, right plays, while continuing to do the things that I've done well at a high level," Nesmith said of his individual development. "So continue to guard the best player, continue to work on the fouling less, and then working on my conditioning and making sure I can do that for 40 minutes."

The Vanderbilt product did make major progress last year. The coming campaign will be about refining those abilities. A tighter handle will allow him to get by more defenders and make different passes this season, and preseason revealed that it will help him take floaters that he didn't last season. His foul rate in the team's four exhibition games was much lower than last season.

Those are the things Nesmith will need to be better at to maximize his value in Indiana. If he remains the fifth option on offense yet defends opposing team's top talents every night, makes his three, hits the right reads, and doesn't foul so he can stay on the court, it will make him an elite role player. He recognizes that and appears to be on his way to more success. After a career year, his approach to improvement changed in a positive way.

Oct 17, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) shoots the ball while Charlotte Hornets guard Charlie Brown Jr. (4) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

"You learn. I learned from my first year here, when I really played. I learned from that season, took that to the next," he said. "So continue to learn based on what I did last season in the playoffs and regular season. Learned what I needed to do, took that into the summer. Now it's time to translate that to the season."

In the preseason, Nesmith averaged 5.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game in three outings. Indiana outscored their opponents by seven in his 50 minutes.

He gives the blue and gold exactly what they need every night. Three-and-D wings are supremely important in the modern NBA, and that's what Nesmith is. He's growing into more than just that archetype, but those skills have made him a perfect starter for the Pacers.

Nesmith now hopes to expand his game in a way that will get the team more victories, even beyond his base of valuable skills. That's what his entire time with the Pacers has been — being a winner. It won't stop in his third season with the franchise.

"Just trying to become a better, complete basketball player. Working on my reads, working on my ball handling," he said. "Working on keeping my hands back, less fouls. Doing whatever I can to help the team win." Indiana's next campaign begins on Wednesday.

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