Andrew Nembhard never seemed flustered or hurried in 41 minutes on the home court of the NBA’s most successful team in the past decade.
Cagey veterans with four championship rings couldn’t stop him from going into the paint and to his spots. Every possession, he chased the most prolific 3-point shooter in history, but he never seemed out of place on defence and made him miserable. He had only a G-League two-way player as a backstop, but he looked like he had another 41 minutes to give. He spoke about it all with a bland look, as though describing a Saturday morning workout.
Nembhard’s 31-point, 13-assist outburst in the Pacers’ slump-busting 112-104 triumph over the defending NBA champion Warriors on Monday night at the sold-out Chase Center is how effortless he made it look.
The Pacers have never been in worse shape than they were Monday night when the Gonzaga rookie stepped up.
The Pacers have never been in worse shape than they were Monday night when the Gonzaga rookie stepped up.
The Pacers had lost three straight games and four in five during their longest western road trip in 37 years. Four defeats totaled 73 points. Each loss was by double digits, and two were by more than 20 points, changing the tenor of a season that had defied expectations before the road trip. The Pacers were without possible All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (sore groyne) and backup T.J. McConnell (non-COVID sickness) for the second night. Myles Turner missed the game with a strained hamstring, coach Rick Carlisle said just before kickoff.
Nembhard had his best game for the Pacers. It was just the seventh time in 19 games that he scored in double figures, but he nearly quadrupled his previous career high.
Coach Rick Carlisle noted, “His impact was huge.”
During a road trip when the Pacers’ shortcomings have been highlighted, they’ve been reminded of Nembhard’s value.
Nembhard averaged 10.0 points and 5.3 assists per game in two years at Florida and Gonzaga. Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard wanted him in the draught. He never averaged more than 11.8 points per game and never scored more than 25 in a game. He played on talented teams all four years at Gonzaga, featuring Jalen Suggs, Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren, and Corey Kispert, therefore he was overshadowed nationally.
Pritchard noted how Nembhard’s ball-handling, distribution, and effectiveness on offence and flexibility on defence helped the Bulldogs go 59-5 in his two seasons in Spokane and made him the first selection of the 2022 NBA draft’s second round after picking Bennedict Mathurin No. 6 overall. He signed Nembhard to a three-year, $6.4 million rookie contract, the biggest ever for a second-round choice.
In the past week, that’s seemed like a steal. On Nov. 28 in Los Angeles, after missing a week with a knee bruise, 6-3, 191-pound Nembhard provided steady resistance on 6-9, 250-pound basketball Goliath LeBron James and hit four 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater that gave the Pacers a win after trailing by 17. It was their lone win on the road trip until Monday. Friday against Utah, he recorded his first double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Sunday, sans Haliburton, he scored 16 points and eight assists while guarding Damian Lillard and running the offence. On Monday, he had his masterpiece in San Francisco.
Pritchard noted how Nembhard’s ball-handling, distribution, and effectiveness on offence and flexibility on defence helped the Bulldogs go 59-5 in his two seasons in Spokane and made him the first selection of the 2022 NBA draft’s second round after picking Bennedict Mathurin No. 6 overall. He signed Nembhard to a three-year, $6.4 million rookie contract, the biggest ever for a second-round choice.
In the past week, that’s seemed like a steal. On Nov. 28 in Los Angeles, after missing a week with a knee bruise, 6-3, 191-pound Nembhard provided steady resistance on 6-9, 250-pound basketball Goliath LeBron James and hit four 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater that gave the Pacers a win after trailing by 17. It was their lone win on the road trip until Monday. Friday against Utah, he recorded his first double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Sunday, sans Haliburton, he scored 16 points and eight assists while guarding Damian Lillard and running the offence. On Monday, he had his masterpiece in San Francisco.
Nembhard averages 15.6 points, 7.2 assists, and 53.4% shooting in his previous five games. His season averages are 9.1 points and 4.2 assists.
Carlisle has praised Nembhard’s maturity all season, suggesting he’d be a top-15 pick in Hoops Hype’s 2022 re-draft. “That’s a top-10 pick. He’s special. Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan, Kelly, and Ted (Wu). They nailed him. He’s got great poise. Powerful. He’s ancient and new. Exceptional.”
Nembhard operates a different offence than Haliburton, who averages 10.9 assists per game. Haliburton looks to attack in transition even following made baskets or dead ball changes of possession and demands the ball as soon as feasible. He’s why the Pacers are third in pace with 103.13 possessions per game and ninth in scoring with 115.0 ppg.
Nembhard puts Haliburton in cruise control. It’s fast, but he has it under control and can make it do what he wants.
Veteran wing Buddy Hield: “He’s faster than Ty.” “Both have fantastic paces, but neither is hurried up. They play at different speeds, which is cool because they can play on and off the ball. Having two dynamic PGs is wonderful.”
Haliburton, Turner, McConnell, and James Johnson were all out Monday, so Nembhard needed to attack and seek for easy buckets. He struck the right balance from the start.
Nembhard centred the Pacers’ strategy on getting the ball in the paint, where the Warriors struggle, giving up 49.3 points per game, 18th in the NBA. The Warriors helped him by trying to pressure him, because he got clear lanes to the hoop or found roll men for easy baskets when they double-teamed him on pick-and-rolls. To take advantage, the Pacers set ball screens further from the basket.
“They were pressuring me and covering ball screens well,” Nembhard stated. “We set ball screens at half so I had downhill spacing. When guards are that high, it’s hard to keep in front of them. So I got into the paint easily.”
Nembhard scored six points in the first quarter on three paint field goals — a layup and two pull-ups — and his drives created possibilities inside and out. The Pacers shot 15 of 23 (65.2%) from the field in the first quarter, making three 3-pointers and scoring 24 points in the paint to lead 34-21.
Stephen Curry, the NBA Finals MVP, stated he played well and controlled their offence. “His stat line is ridiculous, but I think he controlled the flow so much that they got their bigs involved on rolls, lobs, and corner shots.”
The Warriors then used zones and traps to slow him down. They were more effective when they hit their own baskets, and they had offensive reactions with a 20-2 run in the second quarter that erased a 16-point Indiana advantage, a 15-5 run that shrank a 13-point Pacers lead to three points, and a fourth-quarter spurt that gave the Warriors the lead. Each run thrilled the 18,064 spectators at the Chase Center in the 443rd consecutive Warriors home game since Oakland.
Nembhard stayed solid and hit open 3s and 12-foot fadeaways when he couldn’t get layups. 13-of-21 from the floor, 5 of 7 from 3-point range, 4 turnovers, 13 assists.
“As they started to hit shots, set their defensive, trap, and zone, your point guard must be able to read situations well and manage pressure,” Carlisle said. “Difficult. Tonight he was brilliant. 31 and 13 are high lottery numbers.”
On defence, the Pacers weren’t easy on him. After guarding Lillard, he guarded Curry. The Pacers switched things 1-5, so he wasn’t forced to chase him around alone, but he did a lot of leg work and helped Curry have his worst game of the season. NBA’s 3-point leader scored 12 points on 3-of-17 shooting and 2-of-10 from 3-point range.
Nembhard was efficient against Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole. Thompson scored 28 points with eight 3-pointers and Poole had 23, but the Warriors shot 29.5% from 3-point range and 40.4% overall. Nembhard got eight defensive rebounds and stole from Curry.
Hield: “That’s special.” “That’s difficult. Score 31 and guard Steph? Wow.”
Nembhard’s teammates aren’t astonished by much he does because he’s impressed them for months, and some longer.
Brissett, who grew up near Toronto with Nembhard, stated, “I knew he could do it.” “Drew and I played as youngsters. He’s hooped several times. He’s destroyed many people.”
It was another thing to carry an NBA team without another point guard. Trevelin Queen, a two-way player with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, was called up after McConnell took sick and ruled the show.
Jalen Smith: “Ty and Myles are our leaders.” “He stepped up when they were out. His team and offence control showed much.”
He made it look effortless.
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