Brogdon to Boston for Theis/Nesmith/2023 1st
- Thread starter Ed Hillel
- Start date
My basketball coach sophomore year took down the rim and showed us that you could fit two regulation basketballs in the hoop at the same time. Still blows my mind. I worked on the arc of my shot from that day forward.
Not a coach but a great salesperson….
Went to a sporting goods store with my Dad when I was maybe 8-9 when he was building me a new basket for the driveway. The associate sold us on the benefit of a double rim in that if I could master shooting outdoors on a double rim that it would make shooting in a game seem easy. He was 100% correct!
I know I'm bumping an old thread but it seemed appropriate in this case. Long form article on Nesmith in the IndyStar here: https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2024/02/29/aaron-nesmith-why-he-guards-everyone-from-lebron-james-to-joel-embiid/72429445007/ A few paragraphs about this time with the Cs:
Nesmith played in 46 of the Celtics' 72 regular season games under then-coach Brad Stevens in his rookie year -- which was shortened due to COVID -- and averaged 14.5 minutes. In his second year after Stevens had moved into the front office and Udoka had taken over the head coaching job, Nesmith played 52 of 82 and averaged just 11.0 minutes per game.
"There was a lot of days and a a lot of nights where I was like, ‘Why did you guys even pick me if you’re not gonna use me?'" Nesmith said. "It was definitely a tough situation, but during the time I learned a lot about myself. I learned how hard it is to stay in this league and what it takes to be a quality basketball player in this league. It definitely helped me grow to the player I am today."
Nesmith took every game and practice seriously and his teammates and coaches noticed.
"He kept himself in amazing physical condition and was able to find a focus where if he came to the gym and he didn't play that night, it wasn't gonna impact his approach the next day," said Jazz coach Will Hardy who was then a Boston assistant. "He was really, really steady and I think that says a lot about him and the character of Aaron. Because that's hard to do, especially when you're a young player."
And rather than resent the superstars in front of him, he set out to learn as much as he possibly could from Tatum and Brown.
"He really loved the game," Tatum said. "He really works hard. That was special to see that. Even when he wasn't playing as much as he wanted to or getting an opportunity, he was always coming in to work, putting in extra time in the weight room and at the gym. He was always asking questions and when he did have an opportunity, he played as hard as anybody could play."
From Brown and Tatum, Nesmith learned more about the year-around discipline required to be a great NBA player and the importance of having a routine. Nesmith said his current gameday rituals stem entirely from Tatum.
Nesmith got to watch up close the fruits of that devotion as Tatum and Brown led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals before they fell to the Warriors. He appeared in 15 playoff games that season, but most of his minutes were in mop-up time and he only played more than 10 minutes twice.