Aaron Nesmith

Nesmith is a sharpshooting wing who has carved out a rotation role in the NBA after a decorated high school career in South Carolina and a one-year stay at Vanderbilt. Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2020, he appeared in the 2022 NBA Finals before moving to the Indiana Pacers via trade. His résumé includes three consecutive high school state championships and a state Gatorade Player of the Year award.

Born on October 16, 1999, in Charleston, South Carolina, Nesmith enrolled at Porter-Gaud School in the fifth grade. He joined the varsity basketball team as an eighth-grader, an early indicator of his advanced skill level. As a sophomore, he led Porter-Gaud to the South Carolina Independent School Association Class 3A state championship and served as the team—s leading scorer. He repeated that feat in both his junior and senior seasons, giving the program three straight SCISA Class 3A titles.

Nesmith left Porter-Gaud as a three-time SCISA Class 3A Player of the Year. As a senior, he averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while earning South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors for his combined success in basketball and academics. Rated a four-star recruit, he committed to Vanderbilt University, where he played one season for the Commodores before declaring for the NBA draft.

The Boston Celtics selected Nesmith with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He spent two seasons in Boston, gradually working his way into the rotation before the Celtics traded him to the Indiana Pacers in a package surrounding Malcolm Brogdon. In Indiana, Nesmith has settled into a role as a floor-spacing wing and defensive contributor.

Nesmith—s on-court identity centers on perimeter shooting and off-ball movement. At Vanderbilt, he demonstrated the ability to stretch defenses from deep, a trait the Celtics targeted on draft night. In the NBA, he has worked to expand his game beyond spot-up shooting, adding off-the-dribble counters and improving defensive footwork to handle larger wings. His release and catch-and-shoot mechanics remain his primary offensive weapons.

Nesmith enters the 2025–26 season as an established wing with playoff experience, a lottery-pick pedigree, and a reputation as a shooter who can also defend multiple positions. His background at Porter-Gaud and Vanderbilt reflects a player who ascended quickly at each level, from eighth-grade varsity call-ups to the NBA Finals within his first two professional seasons.