Abby Chin talks with Joe Mazzulla about the Celtics home opening night win against Miami
Aaron Nesmith, the Boston Celtics' 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, is off to a hot start this season with the Indiana Pacers. Following a career-best 26 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Nesmith took to his Instagram story to make sure everyone knew he hadn't forgotten about some of the hate he received from critics.
Nesmith scored his 26 points in 30 minutes off the bench, shooting a very efficient 62.5 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from deep. Nesmith also logged nine rebounds as the Pacers topped the Cavs 125-113.
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Following the win, Nesmith posted a screenshot of an old tweet from Bleacher Report, captioned "What the Celtics gave up for Brogdon," with an image of SpongeBob's hand holding a paper clip and a loose thread. Nesmith also added the text, "S--- aged well ain't it."
Prior to the start of the 2022-23 season, the Celtics sent Nesmith, Daniel Theis, Nik Stauskas, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, and a 2023 first-round pick to the Pacers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon. At the time, critics saw the deal as a steal in Boston's favor, which clearly rubbed Nesmith the wrong way.
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Even with the acquisition of Brogdon, the Celtics still found themselves without a championship at the end of the year, leading to Boston flipping Brogdon, along with Robert Williams and two first-round picks, to the Portland Trailblazers for Jrue Holiday.
As a member of the Celtics, Nesmith always struggled to compete for minutes being behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the depth chart. In his two years with Boston, Nesmith averaged 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game. Since his trade to the Pacers, Nesmith has seen an uptick in minutes and contributions, now averaging 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and just less than a steal over 24.9 minutes per game.
Nesmith and the Pacers return to Boston to face the Celtics on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with NBC Sports Boston's coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
