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Aaron Nesmith an "unknown quantity" for Celtics - not so Payton Pritchard

 Where does Celtics sophomore, Aaron Nesmith, fit with Boston - or does he at all. Has his shot deserted him, or is it just diminished minutes that have caused his accuracy to fade this season?


We know what we have with the other youngsters. Grant Williams worked hard on his body and his game and has earned in spot in the regular rotation. Payton Pritchard also belongs in that rotation and may get there if Dennis Schroder is dealt prior to the deadline and Coach Udoka doesn't keep Payton glued to the bench.

Romeo Langford? I have placed him in the "fragile" category until he proves otherwise. He just can't seem to remain on the court and has a massive injury history dating back to his college days.

Back to ThreeSmith. His minutes have faded from 14.5 MPG in his rookie season to 10.8 MPG this year. His stats have also taken a hit, but the drop in shooting percentages is glaring. Aaron shot 44% on field goals and 37% on 3-pointers last season, and those numbers show, respectively, 33% and 23% this season. Glaring, indeed!

My take? Nesmith is a shooter, and that will come around. But he has shown hustle and rebounding ability, but his main attribute is his constant motion without the ball to get open, often followed by the launch of a picture-perfect shot attempt.

This is what I wrote following a dominant Summer league showing by both Pritchard and Nesmith

I know what you're thinking. It's only one Summer League game. Yes, I know, but these two were so damn dominant. If they can come close to replicating this kind of play and synergy in the regular season, Brad Stevens' "bridge season" may be stronger than anticipated.

What is on the other side of the 2021-22 "bridge season" depends on the development of the two Celtics sophomores. They fit. They belong. They just need more floor time.

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