Andrew Nembhard to miss start of Indiana Pacers preseason after kidney stone removal

Nembhard was dealing with neck pain earlier in the week

Second-year guard Andrew Nembhard will not play for the Indiana Pacers on their upcoming preseason road trip, head coach Rick Carlisle revealed on Saturday.

"[Andrew] Nembhard has a kidney stone. It was removed yesterday. He's going to miss a few days," Carlisle said. Nembhard was standing on the other end of the gym while the head coach was speaking to reporters. "He will not make the trip. We'll see where things are when we get back." 

The Pacers head to Memphis today and take on the Grizzlies tomorrow. Then, they'll travel to Houston and face the Rockets on Tuesday. Carlsile said the team will have an off day upon returning, but he's hopeful that Nembhard can return to the court on Thursday.

Nembhard missed some practice time earlier this week with a sore neck. He was the team's primary backup point guard when training camp opened while T.J. McConnell was dealing with an injury.

"He's playing a lot on the ball right now," Carlisle said of Nembhard on Tuesday, prior to the neck pain and kidney stones. "McConnell is a little limited, he's got an ankle thing he's working through that happened last week."

Carlisle added that he expects Nembhard to play a lot of point guard this year, but he won't be able to in the early exhibitions.

McConnell is the likely beneficiary. He will play more with second units in the upcoming preseason games if the rotation is as expected. The veteran guard has been trying to add to his shot and take care of his body better this summer.

He has recovered from the ankle injury he suffered last week and said he is ready to go on the upcoming preseason road trip. "I just twisted it... I'll be ready to play these two games," the veteran said on Saturday.

It's not known how deep into his rotation Carlisle will go on Sunday in Memphis, but if last season is any indication, he will play as many guys as possible. During their first preseason game in 2022, 16 different players hit the court for the Pacers — including their two-way contract forward (Kendall Brown) and both of their eventual camp cuts (Langston Galloway and Deividas Sirvydis). If Indiana opts to do something similar tomorrow, McConnell may not play a ton of minutes anyway.

Isaiah Wong, who is on a two-way deal, is the next point guard in line for playing time. He was selected 55th overall in the most recent NBA Draft.

Nembhard could debut for the preseason Pacers in just over a week. They host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday the 16th, so the young guard could show his summer growth then. The blue and gold tip off the regular season on October 25.

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