Nesmith made 8 of 9 three-pointers! Uduka won t train the sharpshooter, will the Rockets delay Shepard?

After the Rockets were eliminated early in the playoffs, Uduka said in an interview: This team lacks free throwers with 90% shooting percentage and three-point shooters with 50% shooting percentage.

Nesmith made 9 of 13 shots, 8 of 9 of 3-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, plus or negative value +10 in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals this season. Nesmith scored 6 three-pointers in the fourth quarter. After the game, he sighed: I am ready for these moments and am surprised that they have been giving me a free space.

Neismith averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds per game in the regular season, shooting 50.7% from the field and shooting 91.3% from the free throw. He averaged 16 points and 6.1 rebounds in the playoffs, shooting 53.9% from the field and 89.5% from free throws. It seems that Nesmith is the sharpshooter Uduka is desperately needed. Some Rockets fans suggest sending Jaylen Green to the Pacers and changing him back.

It is worth mentioning that Nesmith once played under Uduka, and he played the worst performance in his career at that time. Uduka left the Celtics, and Nesmith also left. After he arrived at the Pacers, he finally began to realize his talent.

When Nesmith broke out, the Celtics reporter recalled that he once said he was a sharpshooter in an interview. However, Uduka would not train the sharpshooter. He asked Nesmith to defend well, but the latter became a blacksmith and fell out of rotation.

Nesmith was born in 1999 and is 1.96 meters tall. He shot as high as 52.2% of his three-pointers in college and averaged 4.3 three-pointers per game. He shot without dead corners on the court and is considered the best pitcher in the 2020 rookie. Because of his ball holding and athletic ability, Nesmith was finally selected in 14th place and put on the Celtics jersey. Nesmith, under Uduka, who attaches importance to defense, was unable to play to his advantages, but instead lost confidence.

That year, Nesmith's shooting percentage was only 39.6% and his three-point shooting percentage was 27%. His performance in the playoffs was even worse, shooting 23.5% from the field and 9.1% from three-point shooting, both career lows. The Celtics management lost confidence in Nesmith and gave up. The Pacers' offensive system is well suited for Nesmith, who is improving every year and has achieved career best performance this season.

Some American media believe that the Rockets have delayed Shepard. He is not suitable for Uduka's system, and going to a suitable team is expected to realize his talent. Shepard also received the same evaluation as Nesmith's three-pointer shooter before the draft. Shepard was also struggling under Uduka and was labeled as a parallel to some fans.

Uduka gave Shepard a chance, but then lost his patience to move him out of the rotation. This season, Shepard shot 35.1% from the field and 33.8% from three-point shooting. He only played for 10 minutes in the playoffs without scoring. Some fans said: If Shepard plays under Carlisle, he is likely to become a big killer.

Although there are some rumors, the Rockets have no plans to trade Shepard, and Stone is optimistic about the young man's ball quotient and three-point shooting. Fertita thinks Shepard is talented and he just lacks the chance to play. Now the pressure has come to Uduka. In an interview, he said that he would consider increasing Shepard's playing time next season.

Smith Jr. and Whitmore also can shoot three-pointers, but they are not valued by Uduka.

Seeing the Pacers' performance, some fans believe that the Rockets should consider changing coaches, and Uduka's level is not enough to lead the team to compete for the championship.