Tag: Andrew Nembhard

Andrew Nembhard listed as ‘last-minute trade target’ idea for Spurs

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was suggested as a potential San Antonio Spurs trade target.

It seems unlikely that the San Antonio Spurs will make any huge trades at this year’s deadline, but adding some depth at positions of need could be a worthwhile strategy, as could selling some veteran players who may not be in the team’s long-term plan. The point is that there are some trade ideas that make sense.

The point guard position has been a contentious topic throughout Spurs discourse this year, as they’ve gone through a few different options at that spot. Jeremy Sochan wasn’t the right fit, and while Tre Jones has been solid, adding depth at the position could help them figure out a long-term solution.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report wrote a list of five “last-minute trade targets” for every team around the league, and one of the guys he mentioned for the Spurs was Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard.

“Nembhard may be too important to the win-now Indiana Pacers as a reserve playmaker and defensive try-hard. Still, the Spurs have a peppering of good-not-great draft picks to peddle if Indy’s looking to restock its cupboard on the heels of the Pascal Siakam trade,” Favale wrote.

With Tyrese Haliburton dealing with some injuries this season, Nembhard has had to step up into a bigger role at times this year, even starting some games in the All-Star’s place. He’s played pretty well in his sophomore season.

The 24-year-old is averaging 8.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 48.3% from the floor and 32.1% from beyond the three-point arc. Nembhard’s ability to play on and off the ball would also be a useful tool in San Antonio.

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Projected starters for the Pacers after a big trade united Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton

This was a huge move for the Pacers!

The Indiana Pacers made a swing for the fences and acquired two-time All-Star forward Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors.

Although it is still unclear if Siakam will sign a contract extension with the Pacers or if he will test free agency this offseason, Indiana will instantly become one of the most interesting teams in the Eastern Conference once Tyrese Haliburton can return from his injury.

When this team is fully healthy, they have a fascinating starting lineup that could potentially make a run much like they did during the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.

Here is what they will likely have on the court when their ideal starting five is ready to play together:

10 bold preseason predictions revisited from the 2022 NBA draft

Rookie Wire offered 10 bold predictions for the 2022-23 season in October and vowed to come back to see how we did.

Back in October, Rookie Wire offered 10 bold predictions for the 2022-23 season based on the available information and vowed to come back and see how we did.

Well, the time has come to look back and review the results.

We started this exercise prior to the 2019-20 season, which was our inaugural class on Rookie Wire, and we have kept up with it each year since then. Our annual revisit of these bold predictions can serve as a fun way to provide some sort of accountability around here.

This year proved no different.

We once again hit on some of our predictions but fell well short of the mark on others. In our defense, to be fair, we were very close on several of these. We just ask that you go easy on us and don’t alert the authorities at Freezing Cold Takes about the ones we missed badly on.

Here is how we fared last season.

Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard missed earning All-Rookie honors by one single vote

This race was incredibly close!

Welcome to Layup Lines, our basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for the tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, the No. 31 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, had a very strong debut season in the NBA.

Nembhard finished with the second-most assists and third-most steals among all rookies in 2022-23. He also ranked top-10 in points scored and 3-pointers made.

Despite the impressive campaign, however, Nembhard failed to receive All-Rookie honors. He finished with 46 total points, trailing Houston’s Tari Eason (47) by one single point.

Nembhard (46) actually appeared on more total ballots than Eason (45) did for All-Rookie. Eason, however, received two votes to make First-Team All-Rookie, and those votes are weighted for double the points.

If he had made the list, Nembhard would have been the only non-first-round pick to receive the nod.

Instead, he will now head into his second professional campaign with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove to those who left him off their ballot.

The Tip-Off

(Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

NBA content from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

LeBron James delivered a heartfelt reflection about Bronny’s commitment to the USC Trojans: LeBron said:

“First of all, congratulations to my son on his next journey and picking a great university in USC. I’m proud of him. This is an incredible thing. I think I told Mike after the game unless it was one of my great-grandmothers or great-grandfathers or something like that, to my knowledge this is the first one out of the James gang to go to college. … So it’s very, very, very exciting, very humbling. And a great moment for our family. It’s just super cool. He’s a great kid. USC is getting a great kid. Obviously, he’s there to play basketball, but they’re going to be super surprised at how great of a kid he is even though they’ve been recruiting him for quite a while.”

One to Watch

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

(All odds via Tipico.)

Lakers (-2.5, -145) vs. Warriors (+2.5, +125), O/U 227.5, 10:00 PM ET

We’re watching two of the best players of all time (LeBron James and Stephen Curry) battle it out in a best-of-seven series. But it seems the most impressive player on the court is Anthony Davis. If he controls the game, the Lakers are a tough team to beat.

Shootaround

— Shaq issued the hilarious ‘I wasn’t familiar with your game’ apology meme to Devin Booker

— James Harden shared a touching postgame moment with Michigan State shooting survivor John Hao

— NBA fans were livid with the officiating down the stretch of the Sixers’ Game 4 win against the Celtics

— NBA fans roasted Suns’ owner Mat Ishbia for embellishing Nikola Jokic’s shove

Creighton transfer Ryan Nembhard commits to play at Gonzaga

Nembhard chose Gonzaga over several programs, including Arizona, Alabama and UCF among others.

Former Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard told Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he has committed to play next season at Gonzaga after two seasons with the Bluejays.

Nembhard, the brother of Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, was voted to the All-Big East second team after averaging 12.1 points, 4.8 assists and four rebounds as a sophomore. He ranked 24th in the country in assists (176) and 52nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.29).

The 6-foot guard was viewed as one of the top players in the transfer portal and projects to be a good addition to the Zags next season. He chose Gonzaga over several programs, including Arizona, Alabama and UCF.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrTQypPuC54/

Nembhard said his brother helped persuade him to transfer to Gonzaga after Andrew Nembhard played two seasons for head coach Mark Few. Of course, Andrew Nembhard became the No. 31 pick in the NBA draft last year and had a productive year with the Pacers.

With Ryan Nembhard now in the fold, the Bulldogs will look to make yet another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The program has advanced to the Sweet 16 eight straight times and will likely be a favorite again in the West Coast Conference.

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Pacers rookies help put Canada basketball on the map on historic night

Andrew Nembhard produced a double-double and helped make some history for his country in a win over the Raptors.

Indiana Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard produced a double-double on Wednesday and helped make some history for his country in a win over the Toronto Raptors.

The contest was the first for Nembhard and fellow Canadian Bennedict Mathurin in Toronto this season. Nembhard, a native of Aurora, Ontario, and Mathurin, from Montreal, Quebec, each grew up watching the Raptors and had a little extra in the contest.

They each played a key role in the win, too.

Nembhard produced a team-high 25 points, 10 assists and two rebounds in the 118-114 victory, and Mathurin added 15 points. Nembhard registered his third double-double of the season and his second game with at least 25 points and 10 assists with the performance.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle marveled at the effort by Nembhard.

To do it tonight in, essentially, his hometown — it was his first time back here. As a kid, he used to come to the games and sit in the third level. To be in the starting lineup and have this kind of game, it is just an amazing night for him and his family.

Along with Nembhard and Mathurin, Carlisle also opted to insert Toronto native Oshae Brissett into the starting lineup in the contest. It marked the first time three Canadians started on the same team in an NBA game.

The trio helped the Pacers get out to an early 13-point lead. Fittingly, Brissett scored the first points of the game as the Pacers snapped a 15-game regular-season losing streak in Toronto. He finished with nine points and six rebounds.

“It was an honor for me, Drew and Oshae to play in Canada for the first time,” Mathurin said. “I’ve had a lot of pretty good moments and I’m looking forward to having many more.”

Said Nembhard: “It means a little bit more this game for us three.”

The two first-year players were understandably excited to play their first game in Toronto. But to join Brissett and make some history in the process was likely a moment they’ll never forget as Canada continues to make its presence felt in the sport.

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Pacers’ Rick Carlisle loved watching Mathurin, Nembhard in Rising Stars

Carlisle was proud to watch rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard in the Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Tuesday expressed his excitement over watching rookies Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard in the NBA Rising Stars competition at All-Star Weekend.

The two were among four Pacers players to compete in the festivities over the three days in Salt Lake City. Tyrese Haliburton was a first-time All-Star this year and competed in the 3-Point Contest with Buddy Hield.

Mathurin and Nembhard helped Team Pau to the Rising Stars title by defeating Team Joakim in the finale. Mathurin scored seven points in each game and Nembhard totaled two points, three assists and one rebound.

Carlisle was happy the rookies had the opportunity to experience it.

The Rising Stars was awesome. Benn and Drew both showed very well and represented the organization great. For the Pacers, All-Star Weekend was a huge win. … One of the passes Drew threw to him was really old school like Magic Johnson or Larry Bird type of stuff. That was really cool. I’m really happy for those guys. It is an amazing experience.

Mathurin is averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 60 games this season with the Pacers. He is second in scoring among rookies and one of two first-year players (Paolo Banchero) with multiple 30-point games this season.

Nembhard earned the selection after posting 8.1 points, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds and one steal in 53 games. He is second in the rookie class in assists and was the only second-round pick last year selected to the Rising Stars.

The two have emerged as key players for the Pacers. They project to have bright futures and hope they can one day join Haliburton by playing on Sunday.

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NBA Rising Stars 2023: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2023 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2023 NBA Rising Stars competition set to take place on Feb. 17 as part of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The showcase will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games for the second straight year. Each game will be played to a final target score, meaning a game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of a running clock.

The pool of 28 players for the game consists of 11 first-year players, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The rookies and sophomores were selected by assistant coaches, and the G League players were chosen by the league office.

The G League players will comprise one of the four teams.

The three teams from the NBA will be coached by Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Deron Williams. The three former players each selected seven players to their teams on Tuesday in an order determined by career All-Star appearances: Gasol (6), Williams (3) and Noah (2).

Here are the four rosters for the NBA Rising Stars competition.

Pacers’ Andrew Nembhard reacts to Rising Stars game selection

Nembhard was one of 11 rookies selected to compete in the 2023 NBA Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend.

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was one of 11 rookies selected on Tuesday to compete in the 2023 NBA Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend on Feb. 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Nembhard, the 31st pick, is averaging 8.5 points, four assists, 2.9 rebounds and one steal on 42.8% shooting from the field in 45 games this season. He is currently the only qualified rookie who is averaging at least four assists and one steal per game.

He is also one of five rookies to register at least one 30-point game.

Along with Nembhard, the Pacers will also send Bennedict Mathurin to the annual showcase. He is a candidate for Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 17.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He leads all players with 843 points off the bench.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is happy for both players.

The team gave these guys a shoutout today as we began practice and we had both of them make a little speech. They were great. They both thanked their teammates. It is pretty cool. I think everyone knew Benn was going to be on it. We hoped that Andrew would be, too. The guy has started a whole bunch of games so it is well-deserved for both of those guys.

Nembhard did not play in the season opener, but was utilized in the very next game and has since played a large role with the team. He has started 34 times this season and is averaging 9.1 points, 4.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in that role.

“It is a great honor just to be recognized as one of the young guys in the league that is doing well right now,” Nembhard said. “I was talking to somebody yesterday (saying), ‘It is a cool recognition but I want to do so much more in my career further than that.'”

He was the only second-round pick from the 2022 draft class selected for the event, which was voted on by assistant coaches across the league. In fact, of those rookies chosen, only Walker Kessler (22nd pick) and Nembhard were drafted outside of the top 20.

Carlisle has often said that he believes Nembhard will eventually go down as one of the 10 best rookies from this draft class based on his play thus far. Nembhard has played well beyond his years and is looking like the biggest steal of the second round.

“I know not a lot of second-round picks get (this) opportunity (for Rising Stars) but I’ve gotten a lot of opportunity here just to show what I can do,” Nembhard said. “I give all of the credit to the Pacers for just allowing me to show my game.”

The Pacers look to have one of the top up-and-coming rosters in the league. In addition to their two Rising Stars selections, the team also has Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte and several others in the mix.

Nembhard is looking forward to representing the team with Mathurin.

“That’ll be fun,” Nembhard said. “That’ll be fun just to hang out with my guy. We’re real close. To experience that together — it’s a real fun game — we’ll have a fun time.”

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Rick Carlisle: Thunder wanted to draft Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard

“I think Sam Presti told me that they were going to take him at (34) if we hadn’t taken him at 31.”

During practice on Wednesday, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle revealed an interesting bit of intel related to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When asked about rookie guard Andrew Nembhard, Carlisle revealed the Thunder were the other big competitor to draft him during the 2022 NBA draft.

“Andrew Nembhard was a guy that Kevin (Pritchard) had been talking about all year last year as a guy he liked. He played one of the two days in Chicago at the pre-draft camp and played well. Then, it was just a matter of getting lucky and having him be there at 31 because I think Oklahoma was at 32 and I think Sam Presti told me that they were going to take him at 32 if we hadn’t taken him at 31. A lot of things fell into place.”

While Carlisle misspoke a bit — the Thunder owned the 34th pick not the 32nd in this past draft — this is the first time it has been noted that Oklahoma City had interest in Nembhard, who is enjoying a phenomenal rookie campaign.

In 45 games, the 23-year-old is averaging 8.5 points on 42.8% shooting, four assists and 2.9 rebounds.

While Jaylin Williams — the player the Thunder selected at No. 34 — has had a decent rookie campaign, adding a steal in Nembhard to go along with Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams would’ve made this already good draft class to a great one.

Alas, that’s how the draft process goes. Such a volatile process makes misses/close calls like Nembhard an inherent part of it.

The full video can be watched below:

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