I think the game is starting to slow down for him, which is why Brad is giving him more minutes. With Smart going down, I would expect his minutes to increase even more.
Offensively, his 3 point shooting percentage has improved, but he seems to strain on his shot from NBA range, as evidenced by the flatness of his shot arc. The shooting coaches and strength and conditioning coaches will help him adjust to the NBA line. Pritchard already had Dame range by his senior year in college, which is why he didn't need this adjustment. I am very confident once Nesmith adjusts to the NBA line, he will become a sniper for us. He still has a slow release, but that is because he hasn't been forced to quicken it; teams have generally been giving him enough time to shoot with his current release. That will probably take a while, perhaps off season, to accelerate his release. Right now there is no need to.
He has shown decent athleticism driving to the hoop, and hope he keeps doing so, especially to get his confidence going if his 3 isn't falling. Reminds me of Jaylen Brown's difficulties as a rookie (and frankly into his 2nd year and 3rd year) where savvy defenders would either swipe the ball away from him and/or draw a charge. Recall the charge drawn on him vs Spurs, and the ball get swiped last night vs the Lakers. These are to be expected, growing pains, against savvy NBA defenders. More importantly, he looks quite comfortable driving with the ball, and pretty decisive. This is not just a 3 and D guy; he actually has ability to be a play maker, with time.
Defensively is where I am really encouraged. There were multiple times last night when he took on the challenge of guarding Lebron. He is starting to learn the system better, too, in terms of where to switch. He probably overhelps on double teams a bit too much, but younger players often fall into that trap. We have seen him make spectacular defensive plays (block pass on Zach Levine breakaway) and his length is obvious a huge defensive asset. I find his lateral quickness better than advertised, too. Not saying he is, or will become, an elite defender. But he already is earning extended minutes for a reason: because Brad likes what he sees on the defensive end.