Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe not.
All we know is that ever since the No. 19 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Detroit's Saddiq Bey, put up 30 points against the Celtics with the No. 14 overall pick, Aaron Nesmith, not seeing a minute of playing time in the same game for Boston, the conversation has changed.
In the two games since Nesmith has played 29 and 25 minutes, respectively. In other words, suddenly the Celtics are intent on seeing exactly what they have in the guy they chose over Bey.
What Brad Stevens and Co. saw in their impressive 112-99 win over the Nuggets Monday night was a player who deserved to be the Celtics' rotation.
As the first substitute to check in for the Celtics, Nesmith looked light years more comfortable than his previous garbage-time opportunities.
When it was all said and done, Nesmith had knocked down two of his four three-point attempts on the way to nine points. It might not seem like much, but when you factor in some of the plays made on the defensive end, along with a plus-20 rating.
“He’s obviously becoming more comfortable with the speed of the game on the offensive end,” Stevens said. “I think that was probably the biggest transition for him and he’s handled that well. Credit to him, he’s just kept working. When a guy gets that opportunity you really want to see him succeed.”
“I’m just trying to do whatever the team needs me to do at the moment,” Nesmith said. “In the game, sometimes we need energy. There’s no crowd, there’s no fans, for some guys it’s hard to get up and play with a lot of energy, so coming off the bench, just trying to be an energy boost, an energy guy. A guy that helps other guys play harder and a guy that helps instill winning.”
The question is now whether or not the Celtics' do, indeed, believe Nesmith is part of the solution.
Stevens chose to go with the likes of Nesmith over both Grant Willams and Jeff Teague, each of whom didn't play due to the coach's decision. With Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis unavailable, the four substitutes for the Celtics were Nesmith, fellow first-round Payton Pritchard, Robert Willams and Javonte Green. It was a group that outscored its Denver counterparts, 30-14.
Of course there is another way to look at Nesmith's opportunity. Put it this way: With that $28.5 million trade exception sitting there, Danny Ainge can use every little bit of leverage when identifying a veteran solution.
It might be hard to imagine that the Celtics would move on from Nesmith if he continues to go down this path, but considering the lack of tradable assets on this team not named Jaylen Brown or Jayston Tatum, the idea has to enter the conversation.
For the time being, however, Nesmith has offered some optimism for a team desperately in need of such a thing.