It's been a rough first two seasons for Boston Celtics guard Aaron Nesmith.
The former No. 14 pick in the NBA Draft has struggled to crack Boston's lineup over his first two professional seasons, averaging just 12.7 minutes per game in the regular season and a miniscule 6.4 minutes per game in the postseason.
A major factor in Nesmith's lack of minutes has come, in part, due to his 3-point shooting numbers. Nesmith -- a 41% 3-point shooter at Vanderbilt -- has connected on just 27% of his shots from beyond the arc as professional. Above anything else, that's what the 22-year old hopes to improve upon this summer.
"I need to become, overall, a better basketball player and get my shot back to where it needs to be," Nesmith said in his 2022 exit interview Friday. "That's pretty much the main two things. Get my shot back to where it was last season, and before I got here, and just get back to the drawing board pretty much."
It's easy for Nesmith to talk about improving his shot, but actually getting it done is another thing. Luckily for the Celtics, he doesn't lack confidence, and has a plan to get back on track.
"I kind of just need to take a mental break and take a step away, to get back to doing what I do at a high level," Nesmith said. "I think a lot of it's not physical, it's mental. So that's why being able to take a break from basketball for 10 days or two weeks before getting back into it should be beneficial for me heading into next season.
"I'm still very confident in my shot. I'm a phenomenal shooter. I know that, the team knows that, the coaching staff knows. In practice it's there, but soon as the game starts, it's just pressing & putting more pressure on each shot I take because I haven't been making them."
While the Celtics continue to lick their wounds from an NBA Finals defeat, and look forward to rebuilding their roster for another finals run, Nesmith will look to work his way into the teams future plans.
