Gonzaga PG Ryan Nembhard is 'only going to get better'
Along with having the same last name, Ryan and Andrew Nembhard's paths to Gonzaga were similar.
Andrew transferred out of Florida after two seasons to play for Mark Few and share a backcourt with future lottery pick Jalen Suggs. Three years later, after Andrew was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, Ryan followed in his brother's footsteps from Creighton to Spokane to handle point guard responsibilities with junior Nolan Hickman.
The transition for Ryan has been much different than Andrew's, though. Ryan came in as the starting point guard, tasked with running a brand new starting five at a high level. He struggled with his 3-point shot early on, as well as when to push the pace and when to slow it down.
All good things take time, and Ryan and the Zags have found their groove late into West Coast Conference play. Ryan has shot the ball well from deep in WCC games (48.8%) and is coming off a four-game stretch with 36 assists and just eight turnovers. Back-to-back double-doubles earned him WCC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. With the Bulldogs (20-6, 10-2 WCC) playing some of their best offense as of late, there's reason to believe Nembhard and the team just needed time to gel.
"There’s a period where you have to go through making mistakes and still playing through that and still keeping that confidence," Andrew Nembhard said on Talking Zags. "I think his shooting has been a question mark this season, especially from 3. But I also think he’s a big-time shotmaker in big-time games so I’m not too worried about that part of his game.
"I think he just needs to clean up a couple of things in terms of understanding the coverage of every team and how to consistently attack it, don’t get bored with doing the same thing over and over again. ... He's only going to get better.”
Andrew broke down Ryan's game and much more on a new episode of Talking Zags. His comments on his brother start at the 2:10 mark of the video.
Produced by Thomas Gallagher.
