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Former Celtic Making Boston Regret Giving Up on Him With Playoff Performance

This former Celtic has been a big reason why the Indiana Pacers are up 2-0 in their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
ByRyan Markham|
May 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looses control of the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during the third quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals in the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
May 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) looses control of the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during the third quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals in the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics will look to make an improbable comeback against the New York after frustrating back-to-back collapses in the first two games of the series. Teams that go up 2-0 on the road win the series 90% of the time. The Celtics need to clear their heads away from the disastrous finishes at TD Garden and focus on getting even at Madison Square Garden.

Speaking of 2-0 leads taken by a road team, the Indiana Pacers shocked the basketball world on Monday night, winning a thriller against the No.1 seed Cavaliers. On the back of Tyrese Haliburton and one former Celtic, Indiana scored 8 points in 47 seconds, including the game-winning three by Haliburton with 1 second left, to stun the Cavs and take a 2-0 lead heading back home.

Indiana quickly did away with the Milwaukee Bucks in five games as Damian Lillard suffered a torn achilles, and now has command of the series against the heavily-favored Cavaliers.

The Pacers have been getting contributions from their stars Haliburton and Siakam as they continue stacking wins in the playoffs, but the play of this former Celtic should not go unnoticed as he's been both an efficient scorer and a tenacious defender throughout the duration of these playoffs.

Aaron Nesmith Shining in Playoffs with Pacers

Nesmith, 25, has seen his career take off in Indiana since being traded there from the Celtics back in 2022. The package that Boston sent, including Nesmith, would be in return for Malcolm Brogdon, who won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in his lone season with the Celtics. In the 2023 offseason, Brogdon would then be traded from Boston to Portland in a deal that saw Jrue Holiday become a Celtic.

What many fans may forget about Nesmith is that he was a lottery pick for the Celtics back in the 2020 NBA Draft. Selected with the 14th-overall pick out of Vanderbilt, Nesmith would spend two seasons with Boston and didn't pan out like Celtics fans would've hoped.

Perhaps one reason Nesmith was gone from the Celtics so quickly was because there weren't enough minutes to be had, given Nesmith is a 6-foot-5 wing on a roster with Brown and Tatum. He averaged 14.5 minutes per game in his rookie season and only 11 in year two. His shooting splits left much to be desired in his final year with Boston, as 27% from three was not going to cut it for what the Celtics do.

Gaining more minutes when he arrived in Indiana has been what's turned his career around. Nesmith jumped from 11 to 24.9 minutes per game, his shooting splits increased drastically, and he was honing his craft as a defender against the league's best wing scorers.

After starting 60 games for the Pacers in 2022-2023, 47 in 2023-24 and 37 this season, Nesmith has accepted whatever role he's given and his been a valuable contributor to the team's success in the playoffs. He's playing the best basketball of his five-year career, when it matters most for Indiana.

In Game 2 against Cleveland, Nesmith cashed 5 of 8 three-point tries, totaling 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 33 minutes of action. It's evident that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle trusts Nesmith, and his timely defensive stops paired with clutch shooting from beyond the arc can sometimes go unnoticed when big-time players like Haliburton make big-time shots, like he did last night. Without Nesmith's performance, however, Indiana wouldn't have been in that position to steal Game 2 from the Cavs.

The Celtics may be shaking their heads, knowing they let a premier three-and-D wing go, and it looks obvious that Nesmith has found a home in Indiana. He signed a 3-year, $33 million extension with the team in October 2023, as that contract looks like a bargain for the team now.

For the Celtics to possibly match up with Nesmith's Pacers in the ECF, they need to take care of their own business against the Knicks. Game 3 is now a must-win for Boston heading into The Mecca of Basketball after squandering their leads in both games.

Despite the 2-0 deficit, Boston is still given a decent chance to win the series at -106, slightly better than the Knicks' odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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