C's pick Aaron Nesmith #14 overall

DannyDarwinism

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The pick is looking fairly solid. Hopefully we remember who here said to take note of his constant improvement on defense, and who here panicked.

Strong correlation with the people who flip out when the Cs are down 11 in the second quarter or lose five out of seven before the All Star break.
 

Jimbodandy

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The pick is looking fairly solid. Hopefully we remember who here said to take note of his constant improvement on defense, and who here panicked.
Agreed.

He is not yet the instant 3ball that people expected. But his defense has improved to playable with flashes of big play ability (chasedown blocks and such). His motor is stupid high, and he has made a bunch of those 50-50 ball effort plays that Grant and Semi do but with better wheels/athleticism. And while he's still doing the hot potato thing in transition, he is starting to attack closeouts like a guy who has played basketball before. Took Semi until his 4th year to do that effectively. This is all good stuff.
 

nighthob

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He’s adjusted to the new level of play a lot more quickly than I was expecting. Although his offense is still lagging slightly. But as of now he looks like he could be playing well enough to earn a rotation spot when it counts.
 

Kliq

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Strong correlation with the people who flip out when the Cs are down 11 in the second quarter or lose five out of seven before the All Star break.
Hmmm...I wonder if there is also a correlation with the "start PP, bench Kemba" crowd...
 

luckiestman

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Hmmm...I wonder if there is also a correlation with the "start PP, bench Kemba" crowd...
That’s different. That’s about trying to optimize Kemba if this injury is not something that will let him play a lot of minutes effectively.
 

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Agreed.

He is not yet the instant 3ball that people expected. But his defense has improved to playable with flashes of big play ability (chasedown blocks and such). His motor is stupid high, and he has made a bunch of those 50-50 ball effort plays that Grant and Semi do but with better wheels/athleticism. And while he's still doing the hot potato thing in transition, he is starting to attack closeouts like a guy who has played basketball before. Took Semi until his 4th year to do that effectively. This is all good stuff.
My guess is that when all those other things start to feel like second-nature, he'll be able to relax into his 3P shooting rhythm.
 

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Interesting similarity to Romeo, guys who were well thought of because of their offensive potential, but have made their way into the lineup because of their defense. Hopefully he has better luck with injuries.
 

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You're looking at only offense here. TL needs to eliminate the breakdowns that lead to easy baskets, or his wow moments on offense are basically a wash with his bad defense. Hopefully the last couple of games are a sign of things to come. He has looked pretty sound.
@Jimbodandy I mentioned in another post that to my eyes many of "His Defensive breakdowns" are him trying to cover for his shitty D playing teammates. When he plays Man on Man he is quite good IMHO. He can also on occasion be very good with Help. But he is certainly not Al or even Theis in that regard, And Al and Theis (on a good day) are what we are measuring by.

I guess I ask is TT any better at "avoiding those breakdowns"? I think he might be worse. He basically brings "tapping the ball in an attempt to get a rebound" to the table and thats it. Theis is a bit (and I like Theis) better but foul prone and he doesnt have the strength hops or upside of RWIII.
 

Jimbodandy

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@Jimbodandy I mentioned in another post that to my eyes many of "His Defensive breakdowns" are him trying to cover for his shitty D playing teammates. When he plays Man on Man he is quite good IMHO. He can also on occasion be very good with Help. But he is certainly not Al or even Theis in that regard, And Al and Theis (on a good day) are what we are measuring by.

I guess I ask is TT any better at "avoiding those breakdowns"? I think he might be worse. He basically brings "tapping the ball in an attempt to get a rebound" to the table and thats it. Theis is a bit (and I like Theis) better but foul prone and he doesnt have the strength hops or upside of RWIII.
I have no beef with TL's man defense. It's not the problem. It's the team defense breakdowns, and IMO Thompson has definitely been better positionally. Not that TT hasn't spaced out too (they all have), but up until 3 or 4 games ago it was a daily occurrence with Robert.

Whatever has happened since then has effectively changed my mind on him. It seems to have clicked for both TL and Nesmith at the moment. And while Nesmith still gives away a lot in man defense due to some footspeed and technique deficiencies laterally, Robert most certainly does not. And in both cases, they have earned more minutes. What they do well has value, and they're not giving back as much with what they don't do well. LFG.
 

bakahump

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Agreed. Though again IMHO I think we have been grading on a curve. RWIII did (and probably still does and still will... heh!) have Team D break downs. However I think he added in X amount in other areas. (Like Help D, Rebounding, occasional block which i might argue has a physiological effect and some Offense on that end). Say "C" level Team D with a B or B- everywhere else.

TT for instance also screwed up on Team D too, Though not as often. But then he didnt do anything else really. So he is more like C+ or even B- team D with F pretty much every where else.

Theis (who again I am a fan of what he does well) can switch a little better and probably blows the least amount of "Team D" assignments. He blocks a bit better the TT but not as well as as TL and seems subpar at rebounding. He too provides a "different variety" of offense in that he can shoot a little (though what happen to the High pick and roll seals that he trademarked?). While Theis was a B or maybe even B+ (last year maybe A- save the fouls) on Team D, with C+ or B- everywhere else.

In all 3 cases I feel we derided RWIII for his weakness much more then other 2. And I get that as a Big in the middle Team D is important/critical part of your role. But ALL 3 are pretty bad currently....at least salvage what good we can.

I Agree an easy 2 hurts (especially this team this year). But is it really any worse then our opponents getting 1 or 2 offensive rebounds and subsequent 2nd chance opportunities? Is it really any worse then trying to bully the opposing 5 off the box only to repeatedly see him shoot a 12-15 footer with no defense? ( I wont even mention is it really any worse then bullying your way down to the front of the rim only to clank it off 3-5 times a game?....ok I did mention it :p)

Out of the 3 RWIII has the best Def+/- even with all those "egregious defensive lapses" we cringe at. Granted thats against alot of second teamers and in limited mins. But there comes a point where we have to see if thats a mirage. And if those defensive lapses are really as bad to the course of the game as they are obvious.

And thats the Key to me. They were/are VERY Obvious. We watch and go "DAMN! How did you miss that Timelord!" But is it really MORE impactful then the stuff Theis and TT are doing wrong?

But Over the last few weeks I have become a serious RWIII wank. So I may well be blinded.
 

benhogan

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Agreed. Though again IMHO I think we have been grading on a curve. RWIII did (and probably still does and still will... heh!) have Team D break downs. However I think he added in X amount in other areas. (Like Help D, Rebounding, occasional block which i might argue has a physiological effect and some Offense on that end). Say "C" level Team D with a B or B- everywhere else.

TT for instance also screwed up on Team D too, Though not as often. But then he didnt do anything else really. So he is more like C+ or even B- team D with F pretty much every where else.

Theis (who again I am a fan of what he does well) can switch a little better and probably blows the least amount of "Team D" assignments. He blocks a bit better the TT but not as well as as TL and seems subpar at rebounding. He too provides a "different variety" of offense in that he can shoot a little (though what happen to the High pick and roll seals that he trademarked?). While Theis was a B or maybe even B+ (last year maybe A- save the fouls) on Team D, with C+ or B- everywhere else.

In all 3 cases I feel we derided RWIII for his weakness much more then other 2. And I get that as a Big in the middle Team D is important/critical part of your role. But ALL 3 are pretty bad currently....at least salvage what good we can.

I Agree an easy 2 hurts (especially this team this year). But is it really any worse then our opponents getting 1 or 2 offensive rebounds and subsequent 2nd chance opportunities? Is it really any worse then trying to bully the opposing 5 off the box only to repeatedly see him shoot a 12-15 footer with no defense? ( I wont even mention is it really any worse then bullying your way down to the front of the rim only to clank it off 3-5 times a game?....ok I did mention it :p)

Out of the 3 RWIII has the best Def+/- even with all those "egregious defensive lapses" we cringe at. Granted thats against alot of second teamers and in limited mins. But there comes a point where we have to see if thats a mirage. And if those defensive lapses are really as bad to the course of the game as they are obvious.

And thats the Key to me. They were/are VERY Obvious. We watch and go "DAMN! How did you miss that Timelord!" But is it really MORE impactful then the stuff Theis and TT are doing wrong?

But Over the last few weeks I have become a serious RWIII wank. So I may well be blinded.
TL is perfectly fine on defense. The guy is long gets deflections, challenges at the rim, changes shots, steals the ball, and blocks shots.

You don't have to look far on this team for cringe-worthy defense.

Kemba floats around guarding nobody and Ingram crossed over Jaylen Brown numerous times yesterday.
 

TripleOT

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Considering how soft the Celtics paint defense has been thus season, I can overlook a few defensive mistakes by TL, who defends the rim well.

As he gets more PT, TL is cutting down on the lapses. Hopefully when he’s fully comfortable in knowing what to do at all times, he can turn up his motor. He’s got all the tools to be a top rim runner/rim defender.
 

lovegtm

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TL is perfectly fine on defense. The guy is long gets deflections, challenges at the rim, changes shots, steals the ball, and blocks shots.

You don't have to look far on this team for cringe-worthy defense.

Kemba floats around guarding nobody and Ingram crossed over Jaylen Brown numerous times yesterday.
Agree that TL is held to a weirdly high standard wrt defensive miscues. Even St. Defense Marcus Smart has been shitty by his standards this year, with lots of lapses like getting back-cut. And as you mentioned, Jaylen has been way below his on-ball standards.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I don't know how much people trust Jerry Stackhouse's talent evaluation but he thinks the Cs "got a steal." https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/jerry-stackhouse-celtics-rookie-aaron-nesmith-once-he-gets-it-look-out

"I think for Aaron it was just about kind of learning the system, understanding everything that was going on on both ends of the floor ... understanding how to play with other superstars," Stackhouse told NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg. "You're not just playing with a couple of All-Stars, these are superstar level guys with [Jayson] Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
"I just think he's one of those sponges. He's probably put a ton of pressure on himself being a lottery pick and not playing a ton early on, so he wants to try to prove to everybody in Boston that they made the right decision, so you guys got that working for you as a Boston fan that this kid is going to continue to try to prove everybody that he belongs where he is, and I think that's going to allow him to flourish and become who he needs to be for them."
It's clear Nesmith is still learning the ropes, but Stackhouse believes big things are coming for the C's when the rookie gets into a groove.
"They got a steal, man," he said. "The character and what he's going to bring to them on the court, it's going to be special. Once he gets it, look out. He's going to do everything he can to stay there."
 

DannyDarwinism

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Talking up their guys is part of a college coach’s job description, so I always take the gushing endorsements with a big grain of salt, but when they get into specific traits (he’s a “sponge”, something we’ve seen with Tatum) it’s worth listening.
 

NomarsFool

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So, only 7 minutes against the Pacers on Friday and a DNP-CD (with Brown out) vs. Washington. Is he in the doghouse now?
 

BigSoxFan

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So, only 7 minutes against the Pacers on Friday and a DNP-CD (with Brown out) vs. Washington. Is he in the doghouse now?
Not sure it’s the doghouse but Brad is clearly going to be very matchup-specific with him. And with Romeo coming back, the minutes are going to get even tighter. It’s disappointing that we can’t give him a consistent 10 MPG.
 

NomarsFool

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Prior to Friday, it had been pretty consistent for several games. So, I don't think it had been matchup specific. He was a DNP against LAC last time - but hard to know what that will mean for the next game.
 

BigSoxFan

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Prior to Friday, it had been pretty consistent for several games. So, I don't think it had been matchup specific. He was a DNP against LAC last time - but hard to know what that will mean for the next game.
I've given up trying to figure out Brad's usage of Nesmith. Figured Javonte got a ton of PT yesterday because of Beal. But given that Beal was seemingly torching everyone, I would have liked to see more Nesmith. To me, it's indicative that Brad still isn't comfortable with his rotations. And it's only going to be cloudier with Romeo's return in a few weeks.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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So, only 7 minutes against the Pacers on Friday and a DNP-CD (with Brown out) vs. Washington. Is he in the doghouse now?
I think the last two games given the oppponents and what it meant in the standings, Brad was really going with veterans to try to win the games and couldn't really afford to give on the job training to AN.

I've given up trying to figure out Brad's usage of Nesmith. Figured Javonte got a ton of PT yesterday because of Beal. But given that Beal was seemingly torching everyone, I would have liked to see more Nesmith. To me, it's indicative that Brad still isn't comfortable with his rotations. And it's only going to be cloudier with Romeo's return in a few weeks.
I'm just as happy not to see AN on Beal. Would have been no contest.
 

BigSoxFan

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I'm just as happy not to see AN on Beal. Would have been no contest.
He scored 46 points on 16-29 shooting against everybody else. That is no contest. Nobody is suggesting to put AN on Beal for 25-30 minutes. He also was off the court for almost 10 minutes.

I don’t see why Nesmith can’t get any time in a game where Jaylen, Smart, and Romeo are all out.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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He scored 46 points on 16-29 shooting against everybody else. That is no contest. Nobody is suggesting to put AN on Beal for 25-30 minutes. He also was off the court for almost 10 minutes.

I don’t see why Nesmith can’t get any time in a game where Jaylen, Smart, and Romeo are all out.
My guess is that Brad went with JG and Semi at the other wing because of defense as he really wanted to win this game. When those two are playing a combined 51 minutes - season high of 33 for Javonte) - there's not a lot of time for AN.

As you point out, that didn't work that well against Beal but at least they pulled the game out.
 

Cellar-Door

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I mean, Nesmith has been pretty terrible when he sees the court, I don't get the call for charity minutes every game. Brad is trying to win games with a team that is flirting with the edge of the playoffs.

If Brad thinks he can win with Nesmith on the court (or we are losing by enough it doesn't matter) he'll get minutes. WAS was a red hot team, and he wanted to win, Nesmith hasn't shown any indication he can hang at either end consistently, so Brad went with his other options. Javonte played well, Semi played well for what they are, GW was terrible in a short stint, so maybe Nesmith could get those minutes? On the other hand, we had a lot of success going big, so Grant (also the better 3pt shooter this year) made sense to get the first shot.
 

lexrageorge

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Stevens is clearly trying to win these games leading up to the All Star break. So developmental minutes to a guy like Nesmith are going to be secondary.

I also firmly believe that Brad is trying to project an attitude to the entire team that he is going to go all out to win every game, which is important given that he has been imploring his players to do the same, both publicly and (I'm sure) privately. Javonte at least has the credibility with the rest of the team for being an aggressive defender, and so noone on the team is going to question Brad for giving Green minutes over, say Semi or Grant. Nesmith just hasn't shown enough yet to be in that conversation.
 

DJnVa

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I mean, Nesmith has been pretty terrible when he sees the court, I don't get the call for charity minutes every game. Brad is trying to win games with a team that is flirting with the edge of the playoffs.
In Feb, Nesmith was hardly "terrible".

He got about 18 minutes/game, shot 42% from three, and had an Ortg of 125 with Drtg of 114.
 

BigSoxFan

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In Feb, Nesmith was hardly "terrible".

He got about 18 minutes/game, shot 42% from three, and had an Ortg of 125 with Drtg of 114.
Yeah. Would be nice if these narratives would actually align with reality. He hasn’t been terrible at all in his recent stretch.
 

PedroKsBambino

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From a metrics perspective, acknowledging gaps due to sample size/matchups—Nesmith has been better than Green, Grant, and essentially same as Semi by RPM so whether or not it is reasonable to say he has been “terrible” it doesn’t really explain it given the alternatives have been worse. Those numbers also make clear, as an aside, that depth is a big issue!
 

NomarsFool

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Starting Green in the backcourt as a replacement for Brown made some sense. I'm assuming the idea was to have his best bench defender going up against Beal.

It's more that Jeff Teague (21 minutes) seemed to take Nesmith's time on the court.
 

Cellar-Door

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In Feb, Nesmith was hardly "terrible".

He got about 18 minutes/game, shot 42% from three, and had an Ortg of 125 with Drtg of 114.
I mean that's a pretty small and random sample. If you do last 5 instead of last 9 he's roughly the same rating as Javonte, if you go last 15 he's terrible. Cutting the season into small fragments, particularly for a guy who picks up a lot of DNP-CD in games that the matchup is bad isn't telling you much.

Nesmith has been very bad overall, Brad has carefully managed his minutes and matchups to find places for him to succeed to build his confidence and reward him for hard work in practice. Nesmith didn't suddenly become a player who can succeed in any matchup, he's still a raw rookie who is mostly a passenger in his successful stints (his USG in that FEB stretch was 9.1%) that's exactly the type of player who is going to get DNPs on nights that the coach doesn't like the matchup.
 

BigSoxFan

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I mean that's a pretty small and random sample. If you do last 5 instead of last 9 he's roughly the same rating as Javonte, if you go last 15 he's terrible. Cutting the season into small fragments, particularly for a guy who picks up a lot of DNP-CD in games that the matchup is bad isn't telling you much.

Nesmith has been very bad overall, Brad has carefully managed his minutes and matchups to find places for him to succeed to build his confidence and reward him for hard work in practice. Nesmith didn't suddenly become a player who can succeed in any matchup, he's still a raw rookie who is mostly a passenger in his successful stints (his USG in that FEB stretch was 9.1%) that's exactly the type of player who is going to get DNPs on nights that the coach doesn't like the matchup.
He played 28 minutes against the same Wizards team on 2/14 and held his own. So, I would like to know what changed with the matchup in 2 weeks.
 

Cellar-Door

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He played 28 minutes against the same Wizards team on 2/14 and held his own. So, I would like to know what changed with the matchup in 2 weeks.
I mean... we lost that game by 13 and were down 20+ for much of it.... why would you expect anything like the same rotation the next time out? Javonte played pretty well late in that one, which likely is what got him the shot in this one.
 

BigSoxFan

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I mean... we lost that game by 13 and were down 20+ for much of it.... why would you expect anything like the same rotation the next time out? Javonte played pretty well late in that one, which likely is what got him the shot in this one.
I wonder if Tatum playing his worst game of the year had anything to do with that debacle. But if you want to dock Nesmith's minutes because Tatum played like shit, go ahead.
 

Cellar-Door

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I wonder if Tatum playing his worst game of the year had anything to do with that debacle. But if you want to dock Nesmith's minutes because Tatum played like shit, go ahead.
Sure, guys played bad. The point was..... we lost that game badly. Brad is trying to win, he put in a different guy who played well and gave him a shot, he played pretty well... we won the game.

That's the goal, not making sure 10th man binkies get a shot in every game.
 

BigSoxFan

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Sure, guys played bad. The point was..... we lost that game badly. Brad is trying to win, he put in a different guy who played well and gave him a shot, he played pretty well... we won the game.

That's the goal, not making sure 10th man binkies get a shot in every game.
Winning the game is the goal? Thanks for clarifying.
 

Cellar-Door

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Winning the game is the goal? Thanks for clarifying.
Seems like people in this thread often miss that. I mean, we came out of a close win complaining that an end of the bench rookie didn't get minutes, and the argument for it is that he "held his own" in a blowout loss.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I mean... we lost that game by 13 and were down 20+ for much of it.... why would you expect anything like the same rotation the next time out? Javonte played pretty well late in that one, which likely is what got him the shot in this one.
Cs were down 25 when garbage time occurred. Nesmith was -10 before and the Cs went on a 15-2 run in the last 5:10 of the game, which also inflates AN's stats.

edit: fixed typo; thanks BSF!
 
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BigSoxFan

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Seems like people in this thread often miss that. I mean, we came out of a close win complaining that an end of the bench rookie didn't get minutes, and the argument for it is that he "held his own" in a blowout loss.
No, the argument is that he had just put together a recent string of objectively solid (not terrible) games so wondering why he didn't get any PT is a reasonable question to ask, IMO.
 

BigSoxFan

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Right, typo on my part. My point was that of his +13 for the game, he was +12 (along with the other mop-up guys) because of that last run.
And it's a valid point. The final quarter certainly skewed the numbers but he had several recent games where he looked ok. I don't think the fact that Tatum pulled a win out of his ass necessarily proves that Nesmith didn't deserve a single minute last night. I was mentioning the 2/14 game merely as a point of reference. And I do acknowledge that his usage will vary based on circumstances.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I mean that's a pretty small and random sample. If you do last 5 instead of last 9 he's roughly the same rating as Javonte, if you go last 15 he's terrible. Cutting the season into small fragments, particularly for a guy who picks up a lot of DNP-CD in games that the matchup is bad isn't telling you much.

Nesmith has been very bad overall, Brad has carefully managed his minutes and matchups to find places for him to succeed to build his confidence and reward him for hard work in practice. Nesmith didn't suddenly become a player who can succeed in any matchup, he's still a raw rookie who is mostly a passenger in his successful stints (his USG in that FEB stretch was 9.1%) that's exactly the type of player who is going to get DNPs on nights that the coach doesn't like the matchup.
Yeah I don’t understand the praise being thrown his way. Listening to Brad a few weeks ago he had earned an opportunity based on his commitment and work ethic he’d shown off the floor. When given the opportunity he worked very hard defensively and garbage time points nothwithstsnding was deer in headlights on the offensive end to the point where teammates would purposely avoid him.

When you work hard to earn an opportunity that’s what it is.....an opportunity to be productive which he really wasn’t especially of late. I’m pretty certain single game or even multiple game +/- play about zero factor into any analysis by Brad. He’d been pretty awful of late.
 

NomarsFool

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I don't remember the exact timeline, but a few weeks ago Brad mentioned that he was going to prioritize players who were hustling (maybe not his exact words, but something along those lines). After that point, we saw Nesmith consistently subbing into games early (1st quarter or early 2nd quarter) and playing 15-20 minutes a night. This has been pretty consistent, and I would argue was not the case that Brad was looking at some sort of specific matchups and playing 4D chess here. During that stretch, it seemed like Nesmith was playing reasonably well. I would say that in many games, he was making a couple of 'hustle plays', looking okay on defense, and on occasion hitting some 3 pointers.

In the last two games, it seems like there was a switch from Nesmith to Jeff Teague. Since these guys aren't practicing (although there has been some references to 'work' that JT put in), it would be interesting to understand what led to that change.
 

Cesar Crespo

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And it's a valid point. The final quarter certainly skewed the numbers but he had several recent games where he looked ok. I don't think the fact that Tatum pulled a win out of his ass necessarily proves that Nesmith didn't deserve a single minute last night. I was mentioning the 2/14 game merely as a point of reference. And I do acknowledge that his usage will vary based on circumstances.
In the 8 game stretch he just played, he averaged 3.3 FGA in 20.5 minutes. That number is heavily skewed by the junk time in Atlanta. Take that game out, it's 2.7 FGA in 21.5 mpg. Or 7 games, 149 minutes 22 seconds of play, 19 FGA.

He's too timid atm. Of course, Jevonte Green is literally just as timid.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Sure, guys played bad. The point was..... we lost that game badly. Brad is trying to win, he put in a different guy who played well and gave him a shot, he played pretty well... we won the game.

That's the goal, not making sure 10th man binkies get a shot in every game.
But the guys he put in did not play well--that is why several are asking about Nesmith.

I have to assume that Brad has a theory for why he's not playing Nesmith. What we've seen on the court does not suggest (eye-test or statistically) that he is less impactful than the guys getting minutes---though I wouldn't argue he's been a lot better, either...just slightly less bad overall. Brad is pretty good at this so I am sure he has a theory, whether it's something he wants Nesmith to work on, effort (which looks fine in games, but who knows), or a different belief about what he's doing and not doing on the court. He changed the rotation to shrink it and made choices about a couple guys including Nesmith so to me more interesting to try to understand the 'why' there.
 

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I don't remember the exact timeline, but a few weeks ago Brad mentioned that he was going to prioritize players who were hustling (maybe not his exact words, but something along those lines). After that point, we saw Nesmith consistently subbing into games early (1st quarter or early 2nd quarter) and playing 15-20 minutes a night. This has been pretty consistent, and I would argue was not the case that Brad was looking at some sort of specific matchups and playing 4D chess here. During that stretch, it seemed like Nesmith was playing reasonably well. I would say that in many games, he was making a couple of 'hustle plays', looking okay on defense, and on occasion hitting some 3 pointers.

In the last two games, it seems like there was a switch from Nesmith to Jeff Teague. Since these guys aren't practicing (although there has been some references to 'work' that JT put in), it would be interesting to understand what led to that change.
Hustle earns you minutes.....production allows you to retain those minutes. Nesmith hasn’t been productive at all offensively and that defensive attitude he showed in those first few games getting minutes were no longer there. Brad had also praised Teagues work ethic when he was on the bench and it was easy to give him minutes over Nesmith who hadn’t been productive at all.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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In the 8 game stretch he just played, he averaged 3.3 FGA in 20.5 minutes. That number is heavily skewed by the junk time in Atlanta. Take that game out, it's 2.7 FGA in 21.5 mpg. Or 7 games, 149 minutes 22 seconds of play, 19 FGA.

He's too timid atm. Of course, Jevonte Green is literally just as timid.
He is definitely too timid on offense but I was most encouraged by him not looking like a chicken with his head cut of on defense during that recent stretch. He wasn't Michael Cooper or anything but he was working hard on positioning, making hustle plays, grabbing some boards, etc. In short, he was starting to look like he belonged and I feel like that will eventually open up his offense. But, pretty soon the inn will be full again and I don't really see much room for him in the rotation so I would prefer he get some minutes now while there is presumably a small window of opportunity and while he has shown some incremental growth.

Let's just hope he stays mentally ready because his usage could turn on a dime at any time, it seems.
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
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But the guys he put in did not play well--that is why several are asking about Nesmith.

I have to assume that Brad has a theory for why he's not playing Nesmith. What we've seen on the court does not suggest (eye-test or statistically) that he is less impactful than the guys getting minutes---though I wouldn't argue he's been a lot better, either...just slightly less bad overall. Brad is pretty good at this so I am sure he has a theory, whether it's something he wants Nesmith to work on, effort (which looks fine in games, but who knows), or a different belief about what he's doing and not doing on the court. He changed the rotation to shrink it and made choices about a couple guys including Nesmith so to me more interesting to try to understand the 'why' there.
Yeah, that's not really true though. Javonte played pretty well. He had 8/2/2 on 5 shots, and played pretty solid defense on one of the best scorers in the league (nba has it at 69 pp100 for Wiz when Beal was primarily guarded by Javonte this year) Beal killed us on the switches, the Wizards scored when he got Kemba (114.6) and Theis (282!!!!). Javonte was a -2, I don't think there is any reason to think Nesmith could do better.

Semi was a +1, only bench player in positives. Also both guys made key plays late to help steal/seal the game.

The only guy Nesmith might have played over who played poorly was Grant, and he only got one short stint, so it isn't like Brad liked what he saw and stayed with it over Nesmith. He needed to steal 5 minutes to rest guys, and since WAS was weak on the boards all night he probably thought Grant had a better chance to bring production by crashing the boards.... then Grant played like he was allergic to the paint so Brad benched him and went back to the 9 man rotation
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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I don't remember the exact timeline, but a few weeks ago Brad mentioned that he was going to prioritize players who were hustling (maybe not his exact words, but something along those lines).
I'm pretty sure that was after the WAS blow-out.

After that, AN played 24, 21, 19.5, 25.5, and 22 minutes. The 22 minutes game was the game v DAL, where he didn't have a shot. He also had a TO% of 100% and a USG% of 2.0.

I will note that in the games between WAS and DAL, he was +20 (13 pt win), +2 (8 pt loss), +10 (12 pt win), and -8 (5 pt loss to NOP).

That stretch of games was followed by 14 minutes vs ATL (+4 in 15 pt loss), 8 minutes vs IND (+7 in 6 pt win), and then the DNP.

So it's not like he's been completely relegated to the bench.

One reason for AN not getting minutes against WAS is that without JB in the game, Brad probably wanted to get another ballhandler in - so with Green playing 33 minutes and Teague handling the ball, there weren't minutes left over for AN.

He'll play 20 minutes again and I bet before the ASB.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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But the guys he put in did not play well--that is why several are asking about Nesmith.

I have to assume that Brad has a theory for why he's not playing Nesmith. What we've seen on the court does not suggest (eye-test or statistically) that he is less impactful than the guys getting minutes---though I wouldn't argue he's been a lot better, either...just slightly less bad overall. Brad is pretty good at this so I am sure he has a theory, whether it's something he wants Nesmith to work on, effort (which looks fine in games, but who knows), or a different belief about what he's doing and not doing on the court. He changed the rotation to shrink it and made choices about a couple guys including Nesmith so to me more interesting to try to understand the 'why' there.
There's also the possibility Nesmith was nursing a small injury but they dressed him anyway.

Teague also had fallen out of the rotation but when called upon, he performed well. Brad may have decided he earned more minutes and he hasn't been wrong. There were still plenty of minutes to go around yesterday with Brown out so Teague doesn't explain all of it.

When this team has Smart and Langford, Nesmith is never going to play. I'm not even sure Romeo is going to play that much. I also wouldn't be shocked if he's light years ahead of where he was last year. Player development is weird.