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Aaron Nesmith transformed his game after starting his Celtics career 18% from three, struggling to keep up with the speed of the game and Boston’s play calls. He turned toward hustle plays that at times took him out of control, but over the course of the season continued to earn him chances to find his shot.
Finally, over his last 7 games he’s now playing consistently and shooting over 50% from three. Bobby Manning dove into Nesmith’s rookie evolution in a Celtics film breakdown following the Garden Report’s conversation with Nesmith on Monday.
Aaron Nesmith one-on-one
Other CLNS Media Podcast segments this week
Jeff Goodman — Why Bradley Beal is a better fit than Jaylen Brown
Jeff Goodman and Bob Ryan get back on the topic of the Celtics’ offseason in their latest edition of the Jeff Goodman and Bob Ryan podcast. Goodman once again brings up the idea of dealing Jaylen Brown for Bradley Beal.
The major point the pair makes is that Beal is a better shooter than Brown. Although the actual numbers say otherwise, Goodman makes the argument that if Beal was given the same quality looks that Brown has gotten, how would convert on more of them. Ryan backs him up by saying he thinks of Brown more as a “scorer” and Beal more as a “shooter.”
This argument stems from the idea that Danny Ainge has to make a major move this offseason. Goodman argues that the only two realistic possibilities are firing Brad Stevens or trading Brown. If the Celtics get eliminated in round one, something major has to change.
Who Do You Want to See the Celtics Play in Round One of NBA Playoffs?
Adam Kaufman and Evan Valenti are joined by Ian Thompsen, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, on their latest edition of the Celtics Beat podcast. The trio discusses the importance of the rest of Boston’s season, and potential teams they could see in round one.
The Celtics are currently tied with the Heat in terms of record, but hold the tiebreaker over them on the season. The two teams face off twice next week in what will be crucial games to help determine playoff seeding.
The Knicks, Hawks, Celtics, and Heat are all vying for positioning. Any of those four teams could end up anywhere from the fourth seed to the seventh seed. The goal of them all is to avoid the play-in tournament at all costs.
On the show, the trio talks about which matchups will be the easiest to deal with in round one for the C’s. Thompsen even brings up the idea of playing the Brooklyn Nets in round one since they have been dealing with so many injuries.
Ranking the Top 5 Point Guards Ever
On this episode of the A-List podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely and Kwani A. Lunis talked with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. One of the questions was a heavy one: who are your top five point guards in All-Time NBA history?
As expected, plenty of different names were being thrown out. A. Sherrod said he believed Lakers legend Magic Johnson was the greatest point guard of all time, and built out his list from there, including Chris Paul. All-time greats like John Stockton, Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson get some recognition, and Steph Curry is added into the conversation as well. Kwani brings up another interesting question: which NBA superstar will retire first, Chris Paul or LeBron James? A. Sherrod believes LeBron will stay in the league until his son is drafted, so that he can have the opportunity to play with him.
Jeff Goodman — Brad Stevens or Jaylen Brown need to go in shake-up if Celtics fall short
Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman convene on the Celtics and ask whether or not the team needs to avoid the play in tournament, and what would qualify as a success or failure this season. If the season ends as a failure, Goodman stood by his take that something has to change, either moving on from Brad Stevens or a core player like Jaylen Brown in search of an upgrade. He said a player like Bradley Beal would fit better with Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker. They also talked about the rise of Aaron Nesmith and the significance of Jayson Tatum’s 60 points game.
Is Kemba Walker Ready to Dominate the Playoffs?
The Garden Report recaps Kemba Walker’s season-high 32 PT performance in the Celtics 132-96 blowout win vs the Magic. How much should Celtics fans read into tonight?
Walker, who is averaging over 18 PTS and 5 AST in an up and down season, showed no rust following a nine-day layoff due to a strained left oblique suffered on April 25. Walker made 11-of-18 shots and shot 6 of 9 from 3-point range in 28 minutes for Boston.
“He had good burst and looked good,” Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said postgame. “Injuries are no fun, but you can tell the guys who’ve had time off their legs because you can see the different burst. (Walker) was great.”
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