2. Aaron Nesmith – Vanderbilt
Aaron Nesmith, the 6 foot 5 inch sophomore wing from Vanderbilt, exhibited an absurd ability to shoot the ball from deep this season, albeit he did only play in 14 games on the year before suffering a somewhat concerning stress fracture in his foot. Over that stretch of games, Nesmith shot 115 threes (8.2 per game!) on 52.2 percent – godly numbers from range.
Can you imagine Nesmith and Buddy Hield both running around the floor causing panic for opposing defenses? While they both are capable of knocking down a high volume of threes from a standstill or off movement, Nesmith is impactful off limited touches and usage comparatively to Hield.
While Nesmith is nowhere near the level of defender that Vassell is, he still boasts a plus wingspan on the wing and has a high-IQ and won’t be caught taking plays off on that end. He projects as a 40 percent three-point shooter on high volume and low usage while also being passable on the defensive end.
Of course, I would prefer an impact player (Vassell or others to be mentioned) on the defensive end compared to someone who simply won’t get targeted individually as Sacramento gives regular and consistent minutes some of the worst defenders in the league – Nemanja Bjelica, Bagley, and Hield.
Vecenie has Nesmith selected by the Kings at 12 in his latest mock with Vassell being selected one position before:
"“Many evaluators across the league have him as the No. 2 wing in the class, and I’d expect he hears his name called in the top 20.”"