Andrew Nembhard confident heading into second season with many roles approaching for Indiana Pacers

Nembhard is a key player for Indiana this season

Andrew Nembhard played over 2,000 minutes as a rookie for the Indiana Pacers, and over 1,400 of them came alongside another point guard. He developed into an important off-ball piece for the blue and gold.

That experience will be vital in year two — as will his time running the show as the point guard down the stretch of last season. Nembhard played multiple roles last season, and that has him confident heading into his second year in the NBA.

"[I] feel more comfortable in a sense of being here, you've played a whole season, you know what it looks like. Definitely confident going into my second year," Nembhard said last week. He had just wrapped up one of his first practices back from a surgery he underwent to remove a kidney stone.

Nembhard is a unique player for the Pacers. He played point guard during his entire pre-NBA career, but with Indiana, that changed. His defense became too important to lose, so he needed to play often. But he couldn't take on-ball reps away from Tyrese Haliburton. That meant Nembhard had to be off the ball for much of his first season.

He shot the rock fine enough from deep and found ways to be effective in that role, but he also was successful as a point guard in the final few weeks of the campaign. He carried that floor general success into Summer League and training camp. Whatever the Pacers needed, Nembhard could do it.

"He's a good point guard that can play off the ball... One of the things that we love about him is that he can do both," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the young guard.

The 23-year old has experience under his belt now, which will be important this year. Indiana is a deep team, and that will push Nembhard into several different roles during the season. Knowing how to handle them, and what an NBA season entails, is vital knowledge.

The Gonzaga product said at media day that he isn't coming into his second season with any expectations for his role. He will do whatever it takes to win, and that includes shooting work with assistant coach Jenny Boucek. Nembhard just wants to get better, and he won't track that growth statistically. He thinks he will be able to feel it.

For the blue and gold, that growth will require Nembhard having a presence in any role. He could be the backup floor general some nights, and he played with most of the guys in that unit to close last season. There's some familiarity there.

Other nights, his off-ball play and defense will be more important. It could be with the starters, it could be alongside veteran point guard T.J. McConnell with the second unit. Either way, the 2022 second-round pick will have to be ready.

"You know what he brings defensively. I think this year, he'll probably have the ball in his hands a little bit more in the second unit and stuff like that," Haliburton said of Nembhard. The Pacers All-Star thinks that Nembhard has grown a lot and will be more comfortable in pick-and-rolls this season.

Nembhard thinks that he and McConnell work well together, The numbers almost agree. Last season, Indiana had a nearly-even net rating (-0.57) with the two on the floor together, a fine result for a group featuring a rookie ball handler.

With Nembhard on the floor alone — without Haliburton or McConnell — the results were dreadful. Indiana had a -14.02 net rating. They struggled on both ends, though many of those minutes came late in the season when Indiana had multiple key players out. Those instances have to be better this year. Nembhard's experience and confidence will make them improve by default, as will an increase in talent elsewhere on the roster.

In his lone preseason game, Nembhard toggled between the two roles. With the bench, he played next to McConnell, something that Carlisle said has been more frequent of late.

"We looked at it yesterday in practice. Everything is on the table," the head coach said of the duo. He thinks that Nembhard brings solid defense, strength, and playmaking to the floor, and that includes those lineups. The physical element Nembhard provides is a rarity on the Pacers roster.

That night, Nembhard finished with 13 points and two assists. Nine of his points came in the fourth quarter, a frame in which he played all 12 minutes and was the lone floor general for almost eight of them. When he could run the show, he found ways to score.

But his impact was still present all night, and that's what a more-experienced Andrew Nembhard can bring to the table — smart, heady basketball in many different roles.

"I think they're good. I think we're kind of new and bringing some other guys in. So we're just trying to create that chemistry," Nembhard said of playing in multiple lineups. He feels more comfortable in both roles than he did last year.

Nembhard is more confident, more versatile, and more effective heading into year two. That's all the Pacers need. He could be headed for a big season, and his development may be important for Indiana to take a step forward

"It was nice to be back out there. I love hoopin'," Nembhard said after his team beat the Cavs on Friday. That love for the game has taken him far, and Indiana hopes it takes him to new heights this year.

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