Aaron Nesmith is coming up clutch again

Why the high-motor wing is closing the gap on closing time

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

Turns out, the Pacers are clutch again. Not just because Tyrese Haliburton hit a go-ahead three-pointer to put Indiana up 108-106 over the Utah Jazz with a minute left to play. Or, because Pascal Siakam (quite literally) sealed the deal, salvaging a sidelines out of bounds play with his indomitable will in the form of a driving dunk shot to (also, quite literally) drive the win home. But rather, because the Pacers actually played clutch minutes after taking a month-long hiatus while posting a 10-2 record during the month of January. Since then, Indiana has logged clutch minutes in each of the last two contests. In addition to finishing with wins, both games also had another thing in common: Aaron Nesmith, who despite no longer being a starter, is suddenly clutch again, too -- at least with regard to his place in the closing lineup.

To understand why, look no further than the first possession of the last five minutes of the game. It wasn't his flashiest play, but it was representative both of his game and the game as a whole in that, even while teetering here, there, and everywhere, he (and the team) still ultimately found a way.

Much like the 17-0 first-quarter advantage run from Utah that erased what had been a 11-6 lead for the Pacers, Nesmith slowed the ball down in semi-transition but precariousness followed closely behind, as Haliburton ended up cross-matched against Jordan Clarkson.

Clarkson's production tapered off in the second half, but he started the game on a heater, dropping 17 points in the first half, including three three-pointers in the opening frame. Needless to say, even with Haliburton's improved overall activity on the defensive end, Clarkson isn't exactly his preferred match-up. No screen ever came either that, maybe, would've allowed him to switch. Instead, after Nesmith and Nembhard swapped assignments on a hand-off at the opposite wing, Clarkson put his hand out for the ball, looking to attack in space even while standing on the logo.

Things were starting to teeter.

In response, though, just as Nesmith had leveled off the ball in semi-transition and squared up the ball yet again out of the hand-off, he also acted like a guardrail at the nail, standing his ground even as his assignment dropped below the break.

When Clarkson saw the help waiting for him, he made the quick and simple pass to the exposed wing. The teetering was happening again. Or, at least, so it seemed, as the long, off-balanced closeout from Nesmith resulted in giving up middle penetration. Still, with a revived version of Thomas Bryant there, in the right place at the right time, to alter the shot at the rim, Nesmith kept embodying the spirit of the game by keeping at it, peeling off to get inside position against the offensive big.

When he went up to grab the rebound, on a night when the Jazz (by the way) had 17 offensive rebounds, he wasn't the only player pulling down the ball. Even with inside position, Walker Kessler was there, too. The pesky teetering very well could've been back, as the two of them (one with a considerable size advantage) matched-up eye-to-eye (or rather, eye-to-chest) at the free throw line, but the only thing that ended up going sideways was the ball. Nesmith didn't outjump Kessler, but he jumped enough that the ball got tipped to Nembhard rather than Lauri Markkanen.

As soon as the tip was secured, Nesmith was off to the races, sprinting to the other end of the floor to meet up with Kessler once again, only this time the ball didn't teeter in his favor, leaving him full of anguish as he came up empty at the rim.

He'd get a chance to make up for it at the free throw line, where he had just missed a shot for an and-one opportunity a few minutes earlier. He didn't miss this time, knocking down the pair to pull the Pacers within a point of what is technically defined as clutch time, as they trailed 102-96 with 4:28 to play. Nesmith played the entire 4:28, just as he also played the final 5:09 and likewise came up clutch, both from three and at the free throw line, against the Hawks two nights earlier.

There were more memorable sequences down the stretch, in what Rick Carlisle later referred to as "one of the best wins of the year, given the circumstances." Thomas Bryant deflecting and stealing the ball out of an after timeout play to finish at the rim in a hurry at the other end stands out, as do the big, late-game shots from Haliburton and Siakam, and Nesmith himself will likely draw more attention for ripping the ball from Clarkson and (quite literally) laying the groundwork for Haliburton's go-ahead three-pointer, as he dove on the floor for the loose ball. But, the reason he was on the floor to dive on the floor in clutch time is because of everything that single possession encapsulated just before clutch time.

Like this game and his season as a whole, Nesmith's game isn't always picturesque. His footwork can at times be turbulent when attacking with speed, and he faced plenty of turbulence as he watched from the sidelines for over two months and lost his starting spot after taking a wrong step in New Orleans at the start of November, but he can also cause turbulence with his resilience at the other end. Even when there is plenty of teetering, he keeps searching for the equilibrium, quietly finding a way within possessions for the team to find a way.

Prior to this win over the Jazz, the Pacers had gone 0-3 in games this season when they shot below 25 percent from three -- none of which saw them also give up 17 offensive rebounds. In order to overcome that math, they were going to have to be active with their hands, forcing turnovers to compensate for what they lacked in both shooting and (oftentimes) size. In that regard, Nesmith wasn't just a security blanket, he was a weighted blanket, recording two steals and two rebounds in the final five minutes to tamp down on the extra chances despite not always having extra length.

There were still plays where they were stretched too thin. It was fortunate that Markkannen missed the first free throw and then also blew the second when Nesmith couldn't contain his spin move and ability to rise up and fire without fouling. And yet, even if he couldn't stand tall enough on that stand, he stood tall at the free throw line once again, knocking down another pair to make it a two possession game with mere seconds remaining on the clock.

The Pacers still might not have a rock-solid answer for every question with the fifth spot in the closing lineup; however, for as long as the roster stays the same, the fact that Nesmith can feature himself with his winning plays without needing or rarely being featured suggests that he has as solid of a chance as anyone to keep coming up clutch -- at least in so much as he consistently features in the closing lineup.