Aaron Nesmith in a groove for the Indiana Pacers: 'Just playing free, playing to my strengths'

Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith has been playing the best basketball of his career recently

During Aaron Nesmith's two seasons with the Boston Celtics, his best month of play came in May of 2021. In that span, he played in eight games and averaged 8.3 points per game on 50% shooting — he ended his rookie year strong. But right now, he is blowing that stretch of play out of the water.

Presently, Nesmith is in his first season with the Indiana Pacers, and the change of scenery has given the young wing much more opportunity. He is averaging over 22 minutes per game with the blue and gold and has already played more minutes this season than he did during his second season in Boston. And those minutes have allowed Nesmith to get into a rhythm.

Nesmith is currently playing the best basketball of his career. In the month of December, the 23-year old is posting averages of 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 52.6% from the field and 46.3% from long range. He hasn't missed a free throw yet during the month, and he recently posted his first career double-double with 23 points and ten rebounds against the New York Knicks.

Both of those numbers are career highs. Nesmith looks great for the Pacers right now and recently moved into the starting five. He has been a key part of Indiana's operation since the calendar flipped to the ongoing month.

"Just playing free, playing to my strengths, playing off of my teammates," Nesmith said of his strong December. He has reached double figures in scoring during half of the Pacers' outings this month. "Getting comfortable and learning what guys' tendencies are, where I can get open, where I can affect the game. Just making the right reads."

In making the right reads, Nesmith has found natural ways to be more efficient. So far in December, just 1.9% of his points have come in the mid-range, per the NBA. That's his lowest mark as a Pacer — points in the paint and points from long-range account for nearly 90% of Nesmith's buckets. He's finding ways to get shots up from efficient areas.

And, like he said, he's finding ways to get open. 68.4% of his shots have been classified as "open" or "wide open" this month by the league, and he's knocked down 50% of those looks. As the season has progressed, the third-year pro has improved his positioning and timing abilities on offense, which had led to good attempts.

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"[I] thought he was just great, just a great competitive spirit, great competitive effort. And he got the ball in the basket, too... he was tremendous," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Nesmith after his 23-point outing against New York. The coach lauded Nesmith's work on the defensive end in that game as well, he was getting physical with Julius Randle all night.

Nesmith is an athletic, nosy defender, and he is one of the Pacers' best wing options on the less glamorous end of the floor. He told AllPacers earlier this season that he takes pride in his defense and enjoys defending the opposing team's best player, and it shows. Through 19 games, NBA CourtOptix ranked Nesmith fifth in the league in average on-ball defensive pressure score.

Throughout his career, Nesmith's play has been inconsistent. It's possible his impact tumbles again soon. But he is currently in one of the best stretches of play of his entire career, and the Pacers will hope it continues

"This is one of the reasons that he's earned the opportunity to start. For this team and for his teammates, he will run through a wall," Carlisle said of Nesmith. "He's that kind of a team guy, and he gets really dialed in to any kind of individual challenge that you give him in a game."

This Wednesday, he will go against his former team, the Boston Celtics, for the first time since being traded. He noted earlier this week that he is looking forward to that game, and it will be a chance for Nesmith to show his former team how much he has grown. He couldn't get as much opportunity with the Celtics, but he is getting more playing time now, and it's paying off in a big way during December.

"You see him growing every day. He's got a new, fresh opportunity in Indiana. Just excited for him to take advantage of that," point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of Nesmith. If Nesmith continues to take advantage of his opportunity with the blue and gold, he could play himself into being a long-term piece for the franchise.

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