With six points behind 2 minutes 30 from the end, the Pacers were still off to a bad start against the Bulls. One man, however, took charge of being the driving force in this umpteenth comeback signed by the team coached by Rick Carlisle: Aaron Nesmith.
His first feat of arms in “money time”: a 3-point shot in the corner after a baseline throw-in to bring his team back to one possession. A shot all the stronger when we know that the winger, despite his best career points average (13.5), is in serious trouble in terms of skill this season (36.5%).
Then, on the following defensive sequence, it was he who recovered a ball that had been deflected by a teammate. Subsequently author of the decisive pass for Jay Huff’s equalizing shot, Aaron Nesmith stood out again 15 seconds from the end by going on a “drive” to finish on a “reverse lay-up” in front of Nikola Vucevic.
This shot gave the Pacers a point back and this time, the Bulls would not be able to respond. The fault, once again, is that devil Aaron Nesmith who came to defensively help Johnny Furphy to counter the penetration of Coby White. “ My priority was not to make a mistake, force him to take a complicated shot », Describes the winger, who was therefore omnipresent in this comeback.
“Double A returns to form”
« We fought a little harder against their screens, and we blocked better to get the rebounds. We just did the little things better “, he remarks, before adding: “ It’s always good to score the winning basket. It (the address) always comes up, so I knew it was just a matter of time. »
« Double A is back in shape, obviously, we see that he is finding his rhythm again », remarks Pascal Siakam speaking of his teammate who finished with 14 points (5/9 on shots including 3/5 from distance), 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
« He had a pretty good shooting game, but it wasn’t a spectacular offensive explosion either. He continued to work and take care of the little details », Reacts their coach, highlighting a similar impact on the part of Bennedict Mathurin.
Rick Carlisle recalls that Aaron Nesmith is one of the most experienced players on the team. “ He is one of our veteran leaders. He’s a guy who really draws on his experience: his first years, he was on a very good team in Boston, he made the Finals, so he knew basketball at that level », Notes the coach in reference to the 2022 NBA final in which his player took part, with the Celtics.
« He knows what it takes from a collective point of view and what kind of mindset you need to have to be part of such a project. That’s one of the things he brought here and it showed tonight », termine Rick Carlisle.
| Aaron Nesmith | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | To | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 46 | 14:33 | 43.8 | 37.0 | 78.6 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 4.7 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 52 | 11:02 | 39.6 | 27.0 | 80.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 3.8 |
| 2022-23 | IND | 73 | 24:53 | 42.7 | 36.6 | 83.8 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 10.1 |
| 2023-24 | IND | 72 | 27:43 | 49.6 | 41.9 | 78.1 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 12.2 |
| 2024-25 | IND | 45 | 24:57 | 50.7 | 43.1 | 91.3 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 12.0 |
| 2025-26 | IND | 27 | 30:31 | 37.0 | 36.1 | 80.6 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 13.5 |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
