NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Watch: Aaron Nesmith

Strengths

Clearly, Nesmith’s lights out shooting leads off the appeal of his game at this stage.

That can be attributed to the incredible shooting run Nesmith enjoyed before he went down with his foot injury and his improved shooting ability has catapulted him into one of the best shooters in this class, especially following the fine, unspectacular freshman campaign he crafted a year ago where he shot 33.7 percent from distance.

Whether it’s simply spotting up, finding cracks in opposing defenses or running around screens endlessly, the mere threat of Nesmith’s shooting bends and breaks defenses in a way that very few prospects are able to do primarily off the ball at his age and stage of development.

Beyond that, the Charleston native does possess a basic skill package in being able to leverage his sharpshooting into being a fine straight line driver to attack aggressive closeouts from over-aggressive defenders.

On the other side of the ball, Nesmith does offer some potential versatility, thanks to his defensive intelligence, his chiseled frame and most of all, his 6’10” wingspan. It remains to be seen how much of an impactful defender he can be at the next level, but the tools and foundation are all there at this juncture.