OKC Thunder: NBA Draft big board 2.0 – Top 30 prospects
By Rylan Stiles
Aaron Nesmith, Wing, Vanderbilt, 6’6, 213 pounds, 20 years old
Anytime you can get a wing player with Aaron Nesmith’s size that can shoot the trey ball at a 52 percent clip, you have to do it. He averaged 23 points per game, nearly five rebounds, and a steal per contest.
Nesmith puts on a firework show from beyond the arc, knocking down triples from any spot on the floor. He has an incredible ability to catch and shoot, while also creating his own looks off the dribble.
From the fancy footwork that allows him to launch step back three’s, to his size allowing him to plow his way to the rim, Nesmith boasts an extensive offensive game.
While he can light it up from long range, he struggles to finish at the rim, often failing to finish strong on his way to the cup.
His game goes past the offensive side of the floor, with that size and athleticism mixed with his basketball IQ makes him a potentially great defender.
The playmaking side of his game needs the most improvement, as he lacks basic vision, control of the game, or the ability to pass the ball at a high level.
While his defense could be great at one point, it will not be an instant plug-and-play situation. You can expect Nesmith to struggle at the defensive end of the floor to start his career.
He can not blow past defenders on the offensive end, so most of his shots must come via off-ball screens, or help from his teammates. Adding the ball-handling necessary to effectively create his own shot and get past the defense is out of the picture, until later in the 20-year-olds career.