Pacers' Surprising Secret Weapon Has Fueled Dangerous Playoff Run

The Indiana Pacers were not expected to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year by most of the media. No one thought that they could replicate what they did last season.

Instead, the Pacers have proved everyone wrong. They are now awaiting their opponent in the East Finals, as it will be either the Knicks or the Celtics.

Indiana has gotten great play from both Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, but they are far from the only big-time performers so far. One specific player has been more of a secret weapon for them in this run.

The Pacers have gotten extraordinary play from Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith established himself as the Pacers' best perimeter defender a year ago, so they knew they were getting good defense from him.

Nesmith's offense has been very impressive, including his shotmaking from three. He's shooting a whopping 48.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc so far in the postseason.

Nesmith acknowledged that it feels good for him and the rest of the team to be back in this position.

"It feels good," Nesmith said. "It feels good to be back where I believe everyone in this room feels that we belong."

If the Pacers do end up facing the Knicks again, Nesmith will have the task of guarding Jalen Brunson. That was an adjustment they made midway through their second-round series with them last year.

They started out with Andrew Nembhard on him before shifting to use Nesmith. Nesmith did a much better job guarding him, although the Pacers may opt to try Nembhard first again.

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Indiana will have time to develop a game plan for whoever they face. They played both of these teams in the playoffs a year ago, so they are familiar with what works against each team.

The most important thing for the Pacers right now is to rest up while keeping up the momentum. Nesmith's shot-making is an important part of how the Pacers are playing.

So far in the playoffs, Nesmith is averaging 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He is shooting 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from deep.

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