Weaknesses
Nesmith is, at his core, a deadeye shooter. When asked to operate beyond that capacity, he often runs into trouble. While not a bad athlete, a lot of Nesmith’s weaknesses stem from a lack of explosion or shake. He simply isn’t built to be a primary (or even secondary) creator.
The natural comparisons for someone like Nesmith are J.J. Redick and Buddy Hield, who are frankly very different players. Nesmith probably falls more in line with Hield, but even Hield is more equipped to create off the dribble at a high level.
Nesmith can beat closeouts and leverage his gravity as a shooter. With that said, he does struggle to finish inside despite his soft touch. He lacks the explosion to elevate and finish over the top of elite athletes, which will only become more problematic in the NBA.
On defense, Nesmith will struggle with some of the league’s more challenging individual matchups. He’s smart, he competes, and he knows where to position himself, but elite wings or guards can still overpower or outmaneuver Nesmith in isolation.
One must also discuss Nesmith’s recent injury history. He missed all but 14 games last season due to a foot injury. He was highly productive when healthy — he averaged a whopping 23 points a game — but foot injuries are tricky, and it’s never ideal to enter the NBA marred by uncertainty.