You’ve got to make your free throws.
It’s a sentiment shared by basketball coaches and dudes watching basketball from the couch alike. When the game is on the line, there are few things as disappointing as watching a player on your favorite team throw their free throws into the trash.
Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith knows this, and is one of the most reliable hands in the NBA when it comes to making free throws in crunch time. According to Pacers writer Caitlin Cooper, Nesmith is now a perfect 17-for-17 from the line in clutch time this season, which is defined as the last five minutes of a game that is within a five-point margin.
That number includes an impressive performance from Nesmith on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings, in which Nesmith made six free throws on six attempts in the final 20 seconds of action to help the Pacers seal a 111–109 victory.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Nesmith was blunt about his clutch performance.
“You gotta make your free throws, they’re free,” Nesmith said. “They’re free for a reason.”
“You gotta make your free throws, they’re free for a reason.”
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 1, 2025
Aaron Nesmith is a perfect 17-for-17 in clutch free throws this season 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Zg4TRRs1cp
There you have it folks. You really do gotta make your free throws.
Sometimes the simplest advice is also the best advice.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Nesmith Explains Simple Reason He's Been Perfect Shooting Clutch Free Throws This Season.
