Portland Trail Blazers lottery-level prospect three – Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith of Vanderbilt is one of the best shooters in this draft class. Though he may only project as an excellent role player, he has serious upside if he improves his ball-handling.
Nesmith is a 20-year-old wing, who as a sophomore, had an explosive 2019/20 season.
Though he played just 14 games, he averaged 23 points a game, on an uber-efficient 52 percent from three. At six-foot-six, Nesmith has excellent positional size as a shooter, and he can light it up from anywhere beyond the arc.
He can shoot off the dribble, he can come off a screen, and he has a stepback and sidestep in his arsenal. Nesmith is one of the best shooters in this draft due to his excellent mechanics and footwork, and at just 20, he has a developing game off the bounce.
His body has developed over the last year or two, where he can now attack off the dribble, whether from a closeout or receiving a pass as a cutter, but his limited dribble means he can’t create a lot for himself at the rim. If he can improve this, he can better utilize his 215-pound frame and six-foot-ten wingspan.
As a defender, Nesmith plays smart. He is solid on and off the ball, and though he doesn’t have great athleticism, he uses his size and length to help well at the rim while using sound positioning. NBA conditioning and coaching will help him on the defensive end.
I consider Nesmith to be a lottery talent. His high-level shooting should put him in this conversation, even if not all NBA teams recognize this.