A closer look at Aaron Nesmith's 3-point shooting, his feel, & how the Celtics are looking for him

If it wasn't for a 32-point comeback, Jayson Tatum scoring 60, and an officiating meltdown, Aaron Nesmith's recent breakout would be a much bigger story for the Boston Celtics.

He's shooting 50% from the field and 40.9% from 3 over the course of the month, but his last 5 games have been especially scorching. He's shooting 63.6% over that span and 60% (9-15) from deep. He's scored 15, 16, and 16 points off the bench in Boston's last three games, hitting 8 of 12 3-pointers. Add that to the defensive plays he's been making and Nesmith might be seizing an important role as the regular season winds down.

But let's be honest, the Celtics didn't draft Nesmith because they thought he'd be a defensive menace or an impressive offensive rebounder. They drafted him because he's a long-range bomber. They needed a long, rangy wing off the bench who could be in range the moment he stepped over half court.

One of the reasons the Celtics liked him was his natural feel for the game and where to get his shots. In true shooter fashion, Nesmith has developed a nose for knowing where to be and when in order to get himself a shot.



Watch Nesmith dancing along the right corner. As Jaylen Brown drives, Nesmith slides deeper and deeper into the corner to give Brown an out if he needs it. Once he realizes that Brown has gotten himself into trouble, he relocates to a spot where he and Brown know is the only bailout. Brown threw a pass that was more hopeful than intentional, and Nesmith wasn't just able to get to it, he slid in rhythm so he could catch and rise up.

That's not something that's planned. It's just a natural feeling a player has. He saw where the ball was going and when he caught it, it was almost as if he was dipping the ball in a natural shooting motion. It was a bailout play, but he did so naturally. It's instinctive. Here's another example.



This is a simple, natural recognition of what's in front of him. He's in the corner, just trying to provide some space against a Brooklyn Nets zone. When Semi Ojeleye starts to cut, Nesmith simply drifts over to give Ojeleye a place to go and give himself a place to catch the pass. Joe Harris is so occupied with Ojeleye's cut that he loses sight of the ball. Tatum takes advantage by whipping the pass by his face.

So much of this is just proper timing. The pass isn't there until Harris turns his head to call out to Landry Shamet to be aware of Ojeleye. Tatum makes him pay, and it's only because Nesmith didn't get stuck in the corner and gave Tatum the option.

Tatum has made a habit of finding Nesmith. He has assisted on 10  of Nesmith's 60 made field goals. Only Tremont Waters has more (11), and that's probably a combination of garbage time and Waters' recent run of extra minutes.



This is a set play the Celtics have started running for Nesmith. It starts with what's know as pistol action on the right side and a stagger screen from the wing (in this case, Romeo Langford) and the big. In this play, Nesmith recognizes the defender coming around the Robert Williams screen and challenging him on his right side. Nesmith makes a simple slide to the left after the catch to give himself a little more space to get the shot off.

This is excellent feel and a quick adjustment. He's taking that left/right step into his shot, but it also acts a side step. Compare that to the same play the game before when the defender goes at him from the left.



This time it's Jaylen Brown and Tristan Thompson, and Patty Mills finds a sliver of daylight between the screens. Nesmith's shooting hand is clear, so there's no need to go sideways. The footwork is quicker so the shot gets up quicker. Mills is smaller, so he's not a shot-blocking threat, so Nesmith's reaction is to just get it and shoot it.

There's so much nuance to a shooter's game. The best can adjust things like trajectory and speed of release on the fly. These past few games have shown how comfortable he's been and how he's settling into being the shooter he has always been.

Here's one last play to keep in your back pocket.



Just watch for the ball to get into the post and Nesmith in the middle of the lane. Nesmith curls around one screen at then Payton Pritchard is there to screen his guy trying to close out.

It might be a play for Nesmith. It could be Tatum coming around a Brown screen as Marcus Smart clears a path for a pass from Thompson.

Either way, it's a fun play for use in tight spots.

The Celtics are confident enough in Nesmith that they're running sets for him. He's comfortable enough in the offense that he can casually drift into the right spots and get good looks. Now all he has to do is get comfortable from the left side of the floor.

Frankly, I don't know why this side of the floor is a problem right now. It could just be a quirk. There's nothing different about the shots he's getting from there, but this is how his April looked. It has been a year-long thing.

If he can start banging left corner 3's, then we'll know just how good he's feeling. Everything else is picking up for him, so maybe getting hot from this area can be his next step.