Aaron Nesmith had a night to remember on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pacers forward dropped a career-high 31 points in Indiana’s stunning overtime win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Twenty of Nesmith’s 31 points came in the fourth quarter.
“I just knew what the game needed, what my teammates needed me to do,” Nesmith said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” “I know I’m a phenomenal shooter, so I just trusted the process and let it fly.”
Nesmith, a 2020 first-round pick by the Celtics, never could find a groove with Boston due to inconsistent playing time. The bench was crowded during the 2022 NBA Finals run, so the Celtics traded him to the Pacers for 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.
But now Nesmith got a fresh start in Indiana as a starter. He was up for the challenge immediately and became a key piece for the Pacers — especially in the playoffs.
In 11 playoff games, the forward has averaged 16.0 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 53.8% from 3-point range.
“I knew what was going to be asked of me this series, so this past week I was just getting my body right, my conditioning right because I knew what it was going to be,” Nesmith said. “I knew it was going to be guarding Brunson 94 feet, fighting over screens, playing 28-30-plus minutes and making sure I had my legs, my jumper at the end of the game.”
