Vanderbilt’s Aaron Nesmith drastically improved his 3-point percentage, shooting 33.7 percent as a freshman and 52.2 percent as a sophomore.
The 6-foot-6 wing, originally from South Carolina, averaged 23.0 points per game in 2019-20. He connected on 4.3 shots per game from beyond the arc, shooting well on catch-and-shoot opportunities while also displaying elite instincts as a shooter on the move as well.
While correlation does not always equal causation, Nesmith played for a new head coach during his second collegiate season. Jerry Stackhouse, a two-time NBA All-Star as a player, was recognized as NBA’s G League Coach of the Year (’17) before taking over at Vanderbilt.
Nesmith recently spoke about his relationship with Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball head coach Jerry Stackhouse (via HoopsHype):
“I would say probably the biggest thing I picked up from him was his mindset: the way he approached the game of basketball on and off the floor, the professionalism that he practiced that he kind of instilled into me from the first day that I met him. It was a dream come true to have him coach me. I learned so much just from being around him and just watching his approach, even as a coach. That was so influential in my development.”
USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire reached out to Stackhouse to get his thoughts on Nesmith. Here is what he said about the sharpshooter during a recent call.
“Aaron is just an unbelievable shotmaker. I think he works at it tremendously and I think he has a lot of great fundamentals as far as shooting the basketball with a great release and good arc on the ball. But I think he does the same even around the basket. I think he has the same touch that he has from 3-point range when he is around the basket. He is just one of those natural shooters, a great competitor. I really see his game translating to the pro game. We ran a lot of pro sets this year. It was really able to open his game and allow people to see his ability to make shots out of actions.”
According to the New York Post‘s Marc Berman, Stackhouse is “extremely tight” with New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry. The Knicks have the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and Nesmith is likely in serious consideration.
Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse gives plug to 3-point machine Aaron Nesmith. Stackhouse has #Knicks GM Scott Perry’s ear @VanderbiltU https://t.co/XJXdrTIbQK
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) November 9, 2020
After playing eighteen seasons in the NBA, of course, the Vanderbilt coach assuredly has connections all over the league. His stamp of approval about Nesmith will certainly carry serious weight.
The biggest concern for Nesmith is that he played just fourteen games as a sophomore before suffering from a season-ending injury.
Stackhouse, however, told us that he saw Nesmith make shots consistently before the season started. He watched him every day in practice during the summer before his sophomore campaign. Stackhouse said Nesmith shot at the same clip from beyond the arc.
“I think whoever gets him is getting a great person, a great guy that has the ability to do a lot of the same things that JJ Redick does as far as catching and shooting the ball. But I think he has more ability to put it down and get into the paint than Redick. I think he is definitely going to surprise some people. I think he’s been labeled as a shooter but he’s going to prove that he can do more.”
Ultimately, when speaking to Rookie Wire, the Vanderbilt coach predicted that Nesmith will shoot somewhere between 43 percent and 48 percent from 3-point range in the NBA.
Considering the premium that all teams have on shooting, Nesmith will be a valuable addition no matter where he ends up in this class.
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