Aaron Nesmith already showing new skills he developed to improve on the perimeter

Nesmith has been excellent to start the preseason for the Pacers

At media day last week, Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith was asked to explain what he worked on during the offseason. It was his first full summer with the Pacers after being traded to the franchise from the Boston Celtics in July of 2022.

"Just being a better overall basketball player. My pace. Ball handling. Being able to make better reads. Driving into the paint. Finishing," he said. The young forward will have a slightly different role for the blue and gold this season. With the additions of Jarace Walker and Obi Toppin, he won't be in the frontcourt as often.

Instead, Nesmith will operate more on the perimeter. And in his first preseason games, the 23-year old wing showed basically the exact skills he described himself working on this offseason.

During Indiana's first exhibition outing, Nesmith hit a three 15 seconds after checking into the game for the first time. He rose from the right corner to the right wing and buried it. That's something he noted as being different about playing the three versus playing the four — he will be playing on the arc more instead of near the corners.

He also got to the foul line for six free throw attempts that night, a team-high number. The young wing only attempted six shots from the charity stripe seven times in 73 appearances last season. He had a solid first game in an altered role.

Two days later, though, he took things to another level. Against the Houston Rockets, Nesmith looked like an entirely new player. He attacked the rim off the dribble, skated through defenders, and found shots near the rim.

Impressive burst from Aaron Nesmith on this drive. He had another one on the following possession. pic.twitter.com/M82gtvfsqH

— Tony East (@TonyREast) October 11, 2023

He finished the game with 18 points — a game high for all players — while only hitting one three. For reference, Nesmith eclipsed 18 points nine times last season. He averaged 4.3 made threes per game in those outings, and he made at least four triples in all but one of them. His scoring against Houston came in a manner that was unique for his career.

It's been two preseason games, but Nesmith's growth so far has looked exactly as he described it. He's driving into the paint more — something he only did 4.1 times per game last season. His reads on the perimeter have been crisp. His ball handling and speed with the ball look better. So far, he's been impressive, and he's done more on the perimeter, too.

"He's improved with his reads offensively. He's improved with his vision of the game," head coach Rick Carlisle said earlier this week. Nesmith has developed a lot alongside assistant coach Lloyd Pierce.

Carlisle added that the young wing will have a lot of responsibility this season and be a part of the Pacers rotation. In the past, the coach has praised Nesmith for being about the same things the Pacers are about. His hard work this summer looks like it will lead to skill growth, and that's what Indiana needs.

For Nesmith, a full season of minutes in 2022-23 helped. He played 1,816 minutes during his first season in Indiana — in Boston, that number was only 1,243 across two seasons with the franchise. Nesmith was not only able to get reps and get better, but he was also able to see his flaws. That provided him with a road map toward improvement.

He worked on his ball handling with his trainers. He focused on playing random — a skill that is hard to define but just comes naturally to many players. There was a focus on reads and pace, as mentioned above. Big picture, Nesmith tried to improve his perimeter skills on offense, and he showed what those skills can be in his first two preseason outings.

"A lot of what I worked on was like the reads of the game, slowing the game down," Nesmith said Thursday after practice.

Last season, Nesmith upped his volume of shot attempts inside the paint. But his accuracy wasn't where it had been before. That was the biggest hole in his game — his outside shot was solid enough, but he couldn't quite punish defenses on the interior when attacking the rim.

His preseason improvements show growth in that area. Nesmith gets most of his shots up from the most efficient areas on the court. If his finishing and ability to get to the foul line are daily skills, he becomes a much more important piece to the Pacers long-term future.

"Hard work. Discipline," Nesmith said of his mentality in the summer. He wanted to get better at the abilities that would help his team win games. Given the Pacers summer additions, that naturally meant skills that are more common among NBA wings.

So far, he appears to be ready for a meaningful role. And with a rotation spot locked up and a contract year beginning, Aaron Nesmith could be in for a big season for the Pacers.

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