Portland Trail Blazers swingmen candidate #3 – Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith has often been mocked to the Portland Trail Blazers, especially as of late. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, in particular, has an affinity for the Blazers drafting Nesmith, and it’s not hard to see why.
The 6’6″ swingman out of Vanderbilt is a walking bucket. Averaging 23 points per game while shooting a drool-worthy 52.2% from deep, Nesmith could end up as one of the steals of the draft.
The Blazers’ have plenty of fire-power already sure, but if the modern-day NBA has taught us anything, it’s that you can never have enough shooting. On top of that, there is potential for Nesmith to become an average defender.
While he doesn’t have the lateral quickness of Green or Bey, Nesmith has excellent length with a 6’10” wingspan, which can at least keep opposing players honest.
His sales pitch is an unlimited offensive potential, which at best could be 20+ points per game in the NBA but, more realistically, the ability to be an electric sixth man.
Nesmith has been nearly as fast a riser as any prospect going from the second round to a late first, all the way to a fringe top 10 pick. He will likely be drafted somewhere within three picks of the Blazers’ 16th selection, and if he’s on the board, the Blazers may end up with an easy decision.