NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year

NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year: 14. Aaron Nesmith

Stats: 

• 4.7 points
• 2.8 rebounds

Cracking an NBA rotation is almost impossible to do for a rookie on a normal team but when you have one that’s stacked with multiple All-Stars like the Boston Celtics, making an impact on that squad is going to be virtually impossible. So, to no one’s surprise, the playing time for Aaron Nesmith came at a minimum. In addition to that, his time on the court decreased as the year went on.

Instead of helping him develop, the Celtics were more content with dishing out heavy minutes to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and strapped Nesmith to the bench as the DNP CDs began racking up.

With his confidence already shot to bits due to the Celtics playing him 14.5 minutes a night, things only got worse in the playoffs. Due to the Brooklyn Nets smacking them around nightly by double digits, Nesmith found himself on the court for 15 mins a game but played horrendously under the bright lights. He averaged 3.2 points per game on 27.8 percent from the field.

So far, the signs aren’t very encouraging but Boston Celtic fans should opt to look at the bigger picture as former Nesmith head coach Jerry Stackhouse claimed the future is extremely bright for his former Vanderbilt star.

Grade: D