Denver Nuggets: 3 sharpshooters to target in the 2020 NBA Draft

Aaron Nesmith (Vanderbilt)

A 6’6″ forward who played two seasons at Vanderbilt, Aaron Nesmith is a well-known commodity after knocking down 52.2% of his threes (8.2 attempts per game) as a sophomore on his way to an average of 23.0 points per game.

There are two big questions for Nesmith though.

The first is how much stock should scouts put into Nesmith’s sophomore production, as he averaged just 11.0 points per game on 39.2% shooting from the field and 33.7% shooting from three in 29.0 minutes per game. The second is how Nesmith will return from a season-ending right foot injury he sustained in January.

As for the first question, Vanderbilt’s hiring of former NBA star Jerry Stackhouse prior to the 2019-20 season likely had plenty to do with Nesmith’s improvement.

Stackhouse, who was considered one of the strongest coaching prospects for a future NBA gig before heading to the NCAA, was one of the league’s best scorers and after playing 18 seasons in the NBA would have had a wealth of knowledge that Nesmith could benefit from.

To the second question, there’s nothing to suggest that Nesmith;s play will be affected by the injury, although due to the tricky nature of foot injuries there could be concern about it becoming a recurring problem.

Nesmith projects to be a three-and-D player although he can score from all three levels. Though not an elite athlete, he displays a solid IQ on the defensive end.