Jerry Stackhouse watched Aaron Nesmith come around a flare screen and hit a three above the break with the Pacers trailing by 15 points with under five minutes remaining in Madison Square Garden. He pulled up around a screen for another from the left wing, then ghosted a screen on the right wing and snuck behind New York's defense for a third. His fifth in a row came from the logo and a whopping sixth in a row flying around a screen from the left corner pulled the Pacers back within two points with 22 seconds remaining.
"I'm sitting up beating my chest," Stackhouse, Nesmith's college coach for one season at Vanderbilt, remembered watching while visiting his mom in Kinston, North Carolina.
"I told y'all he was the best shooter in the draft."
Before Nesmith set up one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history, capped by Tyrese Haliburton's high-bouncing game winner that set up Indiana's East Finals upset over the Knicks and a Finals trip, Stackhouse found Nesmith shooting in the gym. Vanderbilt hired Stackhouse, the 17-year NBA veteran known for his physicality and grittiness, to dig the program out of its winless hole in conference play the previous season. Several players transferred from that team. Nesmith, despite some interest from NBA teams his freshman coach Bryce Drew heard about later, stayed and shot 52.2% from three across 14 sophomore games that made him a lottery pick, No. 14 overall, to the Boston Celtics.
Nesmith suffered a right foot injury suffered in non-conference play that he aggravated in the conference opener against Auburn in January. While he played through pain for weeks, further evaluation revealed a stress fracture that cost him the rest of the season. Stackhouse knew then the ailment would most likely cost Nesmith the season, and would inevitably end his time at Vanderbilt with NBA Draft evaluators returning mid-to-late first-round projections based on how he started the season, leading the SEC in scoring to that point.
"I don't think I've ever seen a kid more disappointed about anything than he was in the office when we found out that he wasn't gonna be able to finish the season and he needed to start to get this procedure and preparing for the next phase, but I had no doubt, man, he was gonna eventually have success," Stackhouse said.
Danny Ainge first commented on his latest first-round draft pick in November, 2020. Nesmith would make his NBA debut on Christmas that year, because the draft took place just over one month before the following season. Many prospects couldn't work out in person, and much of the draft evaluation happened over Zoom, due to the COVID pandemic that postponed the 2020 season into October and pushed 2021 into December. Summer League didn't happen, training camp became abbreviated and Stackhouse, who invested in Nesmith's development as his first college player to make the NBA, recalled Nesmith still fully recovering from the foot injury. Nesmith joined fellow rookie Payton Pritchard, a 23-year-old college star, vying for minutes behind the team's central figures Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at their positions. An unprecedented start to a career.
The Celtics also just made the east finals only three months prior, and entered 2020-21 with expectations despite losing Gordon Hayward in free agency. Brad Stevens leaned toward playing the team's veterans, including a regular Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson double-big look, rather than Boston's younger cast. The Celtics even had separate locker rooms to promote social distancing. Numerous players needed to sit out in COVID protocols throughout the season. Those absences, mid-season trades, Walker's knee injury and the team's diminishing fortunes opened the door for Nesmith to appear in Boston's final 15 games, where he shot 18-for-40 from three (45%). He added 16 points to the Celtics' 29-point comeback win over the Spurs, finishing a team-high +12 while complementing Tatum, who tied the Celtics record with 60 points. Second-year assistant Joe Mazzulla, Nesmith's development coach at the time, soon prepared to coach him through his first Summer League in Las Vegas. So he made a call to Stackhouse for advice.
"We were having a conversation about just basketball in general and different coverages of different things and then obviously Aaron," Stackhouse said. "Just talked more defensively about how (Nesmith) would lean over so much and that kind of hurt him ... Aaron was the kind of guy, man, I'm telling you ... he had to see it. He's not just a guy you can tell, but when he saw something on the board. That's how it registered to him. Certain guys, you can tell them, certain guys need to be hands-on, walk them through on the court, and then some guys just can see it visually whether it's on the screen or on the board, and that was Aaron. Once he saw that, man, he was gonna get it done. I think we were just talking about his posture and how he was leaning over and man, you noticed how he got better at his closeouts and not getting blown (by), getting beat middle. That was our thing, 'no middle, no middle,' and he would close out with urgency, but he would get beat middle, and it was all because of his balance."
Nesmith became known for his frantic style, which earned him the nickname Crash from teammates. He spoke at length about how that approach stemmed from inconsistent playing time and the need to provide more than shooting. Stackhouse noticed his shot change too, and he fell to 27% from deep from 37% as a rookie in year two under Ime Udoka despite a promising Summer League where he flashed the ability to attack closeouts. He fouled over four times per 36 minutes in each of his first two seasons, and Udoka, also focused on playing bigger lineups and veterans, reduced Nesmith's minutes further. This team's veterans carried Boston to an NBA Finals berth, but Nesmith mostly spent the playoffs scrimmaging and observing. That summer, Brad Stevens traded Nesmith alongside Theis and a first-round pick for Malcolm Brogdon. Nesmith found out on the golf course, where he was having a good day -- until the phone call. Stevens told Nesmith that he appreciated his time in Boston and thought Indiana would be a great opportunity.
Many viewed the trade as a steal at the time, Nesmith was viewed as a throw-in and Bleacher Report infamously tweeted that the Pacers got a paperclip and a piece of string for Brodgon. Nesmith saw it and took note, while Stackhouse tapped into his NBA connections again. Rick Carlisle, who coached Stackhouse in Detroit and Dallas, would begin overseeing the next phase of Nesmith's career. And they began a dialogue about how Nesmith fit into a new-look roster after Indiana traded its star Domantas Sabonis for Haliburton the previous February, alongside Buddy Hield, and drafted guard Andrew Nembhard from Gonzaga in the second round. Stackhouse told Carlisle that he'd love Nesmith's competitiveness. Nesmith bottled up the limited playing time in Boston, the trade and talk that followed about his value from the summer into added motivation.
"Rick's gonna have some actions," Stackhouse said. "He's gonna do some things, because he was a shooter, to make sure that shooters know where they need to be and the spots that they're gonna be in. I think having that understanding of where you're gonna get your shots from, it helps build those reps and helps you re-enact them in the game, so I think that's been beneficial to (Nesmith) and it seems it's a lot of fast-paced random action that Indiana does. They know where their guy is supposed to be, they know where those bailouts are and guys tend to get there and I think when you get to rep that out, and you get those shots in the game, he's shown he's been able to knock (shots) down."
Nesmith started 60 games that season for a transitioning roster that didn't have power forwards and asked him to fill in at the position. He gained significant muscle for the role, which became part of his job as his Pacers career progressed. Indiana found comfort in playing smaller, faster and focusing on offensive creation. Nesmith provided the shooting component, and added to the randomness with his screening, rebounding and constant activity. His shot improving back to 36.6% helped, but he needed to adapt to a different style than he played at Vanderbilt and even at times in Boston. Indiana played read-and-react, and created shots for Nesmith from unpredictable positions on the floor. Carlisle and he coincidentally spent time in Nesmith's native Charleston, South Carolina before his first Pacers season, where Carlisle owned a house and met Nesmith's family.
In 2024, the team improved from 35 wins to 47 and a conference finals trip where they faced the Celtics and led late in three of the four games that turned into a 4-0 Boston rout on the way to a championship. Nesmith reached 41.9% from three that regular season, took on the Tatum and Brown assignments that tortured him to begin his Pacers career and held them to a combined 14-for-35 shooting in the series. His efforts, mostly spent on Tatum, showed him ready for a larger defensive role in the following season. He improved again to 43.1% from three, and led Indiana's growth from a defensive unit that couldn't stop anyone in 2024 to a tie for New York for 13th in defensive rating this season. They're allowing 113.2 points per 100 possessions in these playoffs, down from 118.8 last year. In the East finals, he slid through screens, crashed to the floor in a memorable moment where Brunson grabbed his arm and smacked himself to try to draw a foul. Nesmith helped force 10 turnovers on Jalen Brunson as the primary defender on the Knicks' star, sustaining 19-for-33 shooting from him while avoiding foul trouble.
That's what stood out to those who knew Nesmith like Stackhouse, blown away by the defensive growth from the former Celtic as much as the shot-making that'll cement him in NBA history if the Pacers go on to pull off one of the great championship upsets this month. In Thursday's Game 1, they did it again -- racing back into the game after trailing by 15 points in the fourth. The decisive play, another Haliburton game-winner, started with Nesmith launching himself into traffic to grab a contested rebound against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Stackhouse, watching it all now as a first-season Warriors assistant coach, focuses on the points of improvement for the player he formerly coached, especially fouling less. He looks back, joking he's mad Nesmith didn't play this level of defense at Vanderbilt. He even now sees some of himself in the Pacers wing.
"His physical strength, he gets that from his dad. He reminds me of my dad," Stackhouse said. "They got those broad shoulders, and he got older parents too, just like I did, so I just saw a lot of similarities there, so it's just like he got like a natural toughness about him ... his heart and just where he's from and what he's done. His dad used to take him to work with him, so I felt all of that when he was telling me those stories going and cutting trees and doing all those types of things. I did those exact things and that's why we made it. We know we didn't want to cut wood all our lives. I always (told) him dunk the ball, man. I think he has the ability to, when he drives the ball, he can get up there and dunk the basketball, so I definitely see (myself in) how he attacked the rack sometimes, not at the frequency that I did, because I didn't shoot it at the clip that he's able to shoot it at either."
"He's doing some good stuff, man."
Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...
Atlanta: Trae Young held court at the NBA Finals in Oklahoma, his native state where he resides in the offseason. He discussed rooting for the Thunder, his Hawks accomplishments and aspirations for next season in Atlanta. Young won't go to the Oklahoma City parade, though, as he's focused on reaching his own first NBA Finals.
Boston: Michael Scotto reported on potential Celtics offseason moves, with one executive telling him Boston will need to get off two significant salaries at least to avoid paying $238.2 million in luxury tax. Multiple executives expected Boston will explore Kristaps Porziņģis trades given his expiring salary, and he's considered the Celtics' top salary-slashing option. Boston has reportedly rebuffed offers for Derrick White. Executives have also eyed Sam Hauser's availability, with the potential for Boston to replace his minutes with second-year wing Baylor Scheierman. Scheierman spoke to The Garden Report about his rookie experience earlier this week, and Joe Mazzulla's tough coaching.
“‘Listen, I don’t really like rookies,” Scheierman remembered Mazzulla telling him. “So you’re gonna have to battle this year, and that’s how it is.”
Brooklyn: NetsDaily provided the first look into how Brooklyn might utilize its cap space this offseason, beginning with the NBA Draft later this month. The Nets could use their No. 19 overall pick from the Knicks' Mikal Bridges trade alongside Cameron Johnson to move up to No. 9 (Toronto) or No. 10 (Houston) while taking on a bad contract. That would give Brooklyn two top-10 picks.
Cleveland: Brian Windhorst affirmed growing speculation that Cavs guard Darius Garland could be available in the right circumstances this offseason. He reported that the Cavs are active in trade talks after a second straight second round exit. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are considered the only untouchable Cavaliers. Will likely lose two assistant coaches after Jordan Ott took the Suns head coaching job and Johnnie Bryant interviewed, and is expected to emerge as a top candidate for the Knicks' coaching vacancy.
Dallas: Will reportedly receive a request from the Knicks to interview Jason Kidd for their head coaching job. Marc Stein reported that New York's interest is serious, though it's unclear whether Dallas will grant permission. The Rockets are expected to decline a similar Knicks request for their head coach Ime Udoka. The Mavs and Kidd agreed to a two-year extension last May during Dallas' NBA Finals run in 2024 that made him coach through the 2026-27 season. Beyond Kidd, the Mavs could face other coaching departures this summer as the Spurs reportedly hope to add frequent head coaching candidate Sean Sweeney to Mitch Johnson's bench, while the Grizzlies recently interviewed Jared Dudley for a role alongside new head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Jay Triano, a Sacramento assistant, could fill the only current vacancy on Kidd's staff. Kidd is known for his strong relationship with former Mav Jalen Brunson and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who Kidd coached in Milwaukee.
Golden State: A reminder during trade rumor season that the Celtics would have to get under the NBA's first apron to complete a sign-and-trade for a free agent like Jonathan Kuminga. Boston is currently $31.8 million over the first apron and would need to stay below it for the entire season following a sign-and-trade, making this scenario unlikely.
Houston: Expected to engage with the Celtics on Boston's cost-cutting efforts, according to The Athletic. Ime Udoka, who's expected to return as head coach given the Rockets' unwillingness to grant New York an interview, coached Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Sam Hauser and others in Boston during the 2022 season. Houston will reportedly prioritize re-signing Steven Adams in free agency this summer. If he departs, they could target Bucks free agent big man Brook Lopez for that role. Fred VanVleet, who the team has a $44.9 million option for, is expected to return to Houston either on that option or a new contract. He'd become crucial to any salary-matching efforts in Houston's trade talks. The Rockets' long-running interest in Devin Booker has cooled, while Kevin Durant remains an option since Phoenix' asking price lowered and Houston controls the Suns' No. 10 pick. Houston will pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo should he become available, but that hasn't happened yet and the asking price could surpass what the Rockets would offer as they try to maintain their young core. Two of those players, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, are extension-eligible this summer.
Indiana (lead 1-0 vs. OKC): They did it again. The Pacers trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter and didn't lead all game until Tyrese Haliburton lined up Cason Wallace and hit a long step-back two with 0.3 seconds remaining to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City. Haliburton, who scored 14 points with 10 rebounds and six assists, continued one of the most clutch postseason runs in NBA history, leading similar comebacks in key wins against Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York, the latter two capped by his game-winning shots. He improved to 13-for-15 on game-tying or go-ahead shots in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime this season, and 6-for-7 on such shots these playoffs. Indiana became only the sixth team to win a playoff game after committing 24+ turnovers. The Pacers won on Thursday despite turning the ball over 19 times in the first half, but in clutch time this postseason, Haliburton has only one turnover in 33 minutes while the Pacers collectively committed only three.
Clippers: James Harden is leaning toward declining his $35.6 million player option and signing a new contract with the Clippers, according to Michael Scotto. Depending on where the new salary figure would land, likely somewhere in that ballpark, could shift how active the Clippers become in the trade market, depending on their willingness to pay luxury tax. LA is only $15 million under the luxury tax and $35 million under the second apron with Harden signed at $35.6 million. The Clippers have been reported as a Jrue Holiday suitor.
Milwaukee: Teams are not currently confident the Bucks will move Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Jake Fischer. A more definite decision on whether to shut or open the door to Antetokounmpo conversations will occur closer to the end of the month. Several factors in recent weeks, including the East playoff picture opening up with the Jayson Tatum injury, a difficult trade market and the Bucks needing to navigate not owning their future first-round picks have built momentum against an Antetokounmpo trade. Milwaukee could embrace a gap year before reloading its roster following 2026, given that Antetokounmpo is signed for two more seasons, at least, Eric Nehm posed.
Minnesota: The Athletic explored how the Knicks and Timberwolves won the Karl-Anthony Towns trade last fall after both teams made the conference finals and discovered new identities. Minnesota now has greater financial flexibility to build around Anthony Edwards into the future, with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo potentially filling more sustainable cap hits depending on what Randle and Naz Reid sign for this summer (both have player options). In New York, Towns emerged as an All-NBA Second Team talent and exceeded his past playoff productivity. New York reportedly didn't want to offer DiVincenzo, but viewed Towns as the perfect complement for Jalen Brunson.
New Orleans: Joe Dumars committed to Zion Williamson as part of the Pelicans' future after a lawsuit alleged the star of rape and abuse last week. Dumars said he'd been advised not to address the allegations, which Williamson denied through his lawyers. Team owner Gayle Benson did address the suit, saying "lawsuits are lawsuits" and "people can sue you for anything." New Orleans has the ability to waive Williamson and get out of his three-year contract completely before next season's salary is guaranteed in July.
"I've had really good conversations with Zion," Dumars said. "We've had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We've done it all. I've had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations."
New York: Fired head coach Tom Thibodeau in a stunning move after the Knicks reached the east finals for the first time since 2000. Thibodeau turned around a franchise that struggled immensely for most of those 25 years, outside of a brief Carmelo Anthony run that peaked in the second round. Thibodeau finished with a 226-174 record in New York across five seasons, reaching the playoffs in four of those years and the second round in three of them. While a lacking record against the best teams in the NBA and a difficult first round series against the Pistons, along with a defense that lagged at times this season and a new-look roster that Thibodeau didn't always adapt to, the team's efforts to upset Boston should've bought the head coach some security entering next season. It didn't, and Thibodeau never reached the three-year extension through the 2027-28 season. Player input during exit interviews with team owner James Dolan reportedly played a role in Thibodeau's firing, according to reports, while Leon Rose took responsibility for the decision. Spats with Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges occurred late in the season, while Jalen Brunson vocally supported Thibodeau throughout the year. Ian Begley reported New York's interest in hiring Ime Udoka, Chris Finch and Jason Kidd, while other potential options include former assistant Johnnie Bryant, who left the team for an assistant job in Cleveland and didn't land the Phoenix job this week. Former Villanova champion Jay Wright, long rumored as an option given Brunson, Hart and Bridges playing in New York, has also long declined interest in an NBA coaching job. He reportedly won't be in the mix.
Oklahoma City (down 0-1 vs. IND): Still favored despite their Game 1 slip-up, the kind that always had the potential to change a series they appeared to have a significant advantage in. Trouble began when Mark Daigneault replaced Isaiah Hartenstein with Cason Wallace in the starting lineup, trying to match Indiana's small-ball strength. Throughout, they grew reliant on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot 14-for-30 with 38 points and only three assists. He missed his last two shots in the final 67 seconds while Oklahoma City held on by one possession. In contrast to Tyrese Haliburton's late game brilliance, Gilgeous-Alexander went 0-for-7 on game-tying or go-ahead shots late this year. Something to watch as the final moments in Pacers games continued to prove crucial. The Thunder attempted 30 threes in the loss, another factor that put them at a disadvantage.
Orlando: A team to watch among underrated star-chasers this summer, however much Anfernee Simons and Darius Garland could prove more of their preference price-wise. The Magic can also feasibly open a full mid-level exception and become suitors for free agents like Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Watch out for them in the Sam Hauser hunt in that case.
Phoenix: Hired Jordan Ott as their fourth head coach in four seasons, a Cavaliers assistant who joined Kenny Atkinson in Cleveland after previously working with him in Brooklyn. He also worked on Steve Nash and Jacque Vaughn's staffs with Kevin Durant before joining Darvin Ham's Lakers bench. He becomes one of the league's younger coaches at 40, beating out fellow Cavs coach Johnnie Bryant. Heat coach Chris Quinn, Dallas' Sean Sweeney, Oklahoma City's Dave Bliss and David Fizdale, Suns assistant under Mike Budenholzer, joined Bryant and Ott in the last round of interviews. Zach Lowe said with certainty on a recent podcast that Durant will move this offseason. Devin Booker reportedly took part in the interview process. Shams Charania indicated roughly six teams will show interest in the star, the Rockets most known among them. New York, Golden State, Minnesota, San Antonio, and Miami also reportedly expressed interest in Durant prior to the trade deadline. Jake Fischer also noted Toronto as an emerging suitor if the Raptors can't pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite an apparent lower asking price by the Suns, having multiple suitors could set up a better Suns roster reset.
San Antonio: A potentially powerful team in Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and even Jaylen Brown talks should any of the three players become available this offseason. Chris Mannix proposed the Spurs as a possible partner for Boston in a major trade if San Antonio offers the No. 2 pick in the draft, Devin Vassell and additional players and picks.