Abandoned general becomes a treasure! 48.2% three-pointer + 52% hit rate, Pacers successfully picked up the bargain

When the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year in a dark horse, Aaron Nesmith's name was finally pushed into the spotlight.

This "abandoned player" who was once abandoned by the Celtics, has become the hottest top 3D player in the league with a comprehensive data of 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, plus 52% shooting percentage, 48.2% three-point shooting percentage and 91.2% free throw percentage.

What's more amazing is that his annual salary is only US$11 million, and his cost-effectiveness is called the "baby price ceiling".

Since the playoffs, Nesmith averaged 2.7 three-pointers per game, ranking among the top three in the league in shooting percentage, and his true shooting percentage was 67.2%, which was even ahead of all role players at the fault.

His offense does not rely on holding the ball, but he can tear the opponent's defense through unball running, pick-and-roll down and precise bottom corner three-pointers. In the series against the Cavaliers, his performance of 23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in a single game directly destroyed the morale of his opponent. In the first round of eliminating the Bucks, he even contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds to the "tough guy" data. On the defensive end, this 1.96-meter-tall forward has become a "universal lock". He averaged 8.2 defense per game, and none of them were spared from Mitchell to Mobley. Data shows that when he was defending Mitchell, his shooting percentage plummeted to 42.1%. In 2022, the Celtics sent Nesmith to the Pacers as a bargaining chip to trade Brogdon. At that time, no one expected that this "marginal man" who averaged only 4.7 points per game in Boston would transform into a core puzzle with both offense and defense under the guidance of Carlisle.

This season, his three-point shooting percentage soared from 37% of his rookie season to 43.1%, ranking among the top three in the team in the defensive victory contribution (DWS). Fans joked: "The Celtics management now sees his performance, and I am afraid that I will regret opening a pharmaceutical factory overnight."

Nestmith's three-year, $33 million contract seems out of place in an era of contracts of tens of billions of yuan, but it perfectly fits the Pacers' team building logic.

This team does not have superstars, but with its team of basketball, it swept the Bucks and Cavaliers. Nesmith, Halliburton, Siakam and others have a clear division of labor - the former uses defense and three-pointers to support the bottom, while the latter uses passes and singles to break the game. As Carlisle said, "We don't need heroism, we just need everyone to do their role." Nesmith's task is even more difficult in the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals (the opponent is the Knicks or the Celtics). If he faces the Knicks, he needs to lock Brunson; if he fights the Celtics again, he will face Brown's forward attack.