Tag: Andrew Nembhard

Hornets host Davidson’s Hyunjung Lee, others for pre-draft workout

Hyunjung Lee was among the prospects that worked out for the Hornets on Wednesday.

Davidson junior Hyunjung Lee on Wednesday was among the prospects that participated in a pre-draft workout with the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced.

Lee, who was born in South Korea, was named to the All-Atlantic-10 first team after averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds and 1.9 assists on 38.1% shooting from 3-point range. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and fourth in 3s (80).

The 6-foot-8 forward is regarded as one of the top shooters in the draft this year. He became just the 11th Division I player last year to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line.

Lee is looking to become just the second-ever Korean NBA player.

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In addition to Lee, Charlotte also hosted NZ Breakers guard Hugo Besson, Gran Canaria forward Khalifa Diop, Boston University guard Javante McCoy, Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard and Yannick Nzosa of Unicaja (Spain) on Wednesday.

The Hornets enter the draft with the 13th, 15th (first round) and 45th pick (second round). Charlotte has previously hosted several prospects of late, including Ochai Agbaji, Tari Eason and Jaden Hardy among others.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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ESPN’s best all-time transfers in and out of Florida’s basketball program

Here’s a little transfer portal history for Florida basketball.

The transfer portal has revolutionized team building in college sports in recent years, particularly football and men’s basketball, creating a de facto free agency system that allows student-athletes to pursue greener pastures if their initial instincts about their current school were wrong. However, players transferring from one program to another is nothing new as it has been an option — albeit a difficult one that required a player to sit a year before becoming re-eligible to play.

Florida basketball has been no stranger to transfers over the years, with many coming through the in door as well as the out door. ESPN’s John Gasaway recently took a look at the best all-time transfers in and out of every SEC school including the Gators, which includes one familiar name who still gets time on the NBA court as well as another that is not quite as well known.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Best transfer in: [autotag]Dorian Finney-Smith[/autotag], 2013-16

Finney-Smith’s three seasons at Florida spanned the [autotag]Billy Donovan[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael White[/autotag] eras, and in each of his last two years he was the Gators’ leading scorer. The current Dallas Maverick began his college career playing for Seth Greenberg at Virginia Tech.

Most significant transfer out: Mario Boggan, 2002-03

Boggan cycled through Florida, St. Bonaventure (briefly, and without actually taking the floor for the Bonnies) and Chipola Junior College before landing at Oklahoma State and earning first-team All-Big 12 honors with the Cowboys in 2007. He edges out 2022 Cousy Award finalist and Gonzaga mainstay [autotag]Andrew Nembhard[/autotag] (who played for the Gators from 2018 to 2020) for this distinguished title.

Finney-Smith has had a fine professional career since leaving Florida, stringing together six seasons — all with the Mavs — averaging 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks over 27.3 minutes per game. His best season came in 2021-22 when he averaged double-digit points for the first time with 11 along with a career-high 33.1 minutes per game.

On the other hand, Boggan played a year with the NBA D-League’s Anaheim Arsenal during the 2007-08 season, averaging 1.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists in six games. He also played some ball overseas in Europe before hanging up his sneakers.

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Pacers to host Andrew Nembhard, others for pre-draft workout

Nembhard was among the standouts at the draft combine this week, recording 26 points and 11 assists on Friday.

Gonzaga senior Andrew Nembhard will be among the draft-eligible prospects to work out with the Indiana Pacers on Monday, the team announced. It is their second workout ahead of the draft.

Nembhard, who was named to the All-WCC first team, averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32 games. He finished the season ranked 15th in the country in assists per game and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.97).

The 6-foot-5 standout is projected to be a second-round pick but was perhaps the best guard at the draft combine this week in Chicago, Illinois. He recorded 26 points and 11 assists on Friday during his lone scrimmage appearance.

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In addition to Nembhard, the Pacers also plan to work out Baylor guard James Akinjo, Alabama guard Keon Ellis, UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, Marquette forward Justin Lewis and Colorado State center David Roddy on Monday.

The Pacers were awarded the sixth overall pick in the draft, one position lower than their pre-lottery odds. They also have the 31st pick from the Houston Rockets and the 60th pick from the Phoenix Suns.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Andrew Nembhard deserves consideration as one of the top point guards in 2022 NBA Draft

There was a very clear winner from the NBA draft combine scrimmages.

There was a very clear winner from the NBA Draft Combine scrimmages, and his name is Andrew Nembhard, a Gonzaga Bulldogs senior combo guard.

The 22 year old had 26 points, 11 assists (the most in a combine scrimmage over the last four years), one steal and just two turnovers during his five-on-five competition Friday. Nembhard dominated the scrimmage, and he looked like the only capable floor general in any of these five-on-five games thus far.

Nembhard was a standout on the court, a visible leader who improved the play of those around him while orchestrating his offense. It was a masterful showing, all things considered.

But although I was certainly impressed by his performance, I’m not a fan of evaluating seniors based on a single game.

We have a large enough sample size from his four years in college that we can actually pull the data. Let’s take a look at two guys and blindly compare their overall productivity, finishing at the rim, playmaking and defense.

Player A: 6’4.5″ in shoes, 22.4 years old on draft night Player B: 6’1.5″ in shoes, 22.9 years old on draft night
10.0 pts 9.0 pts
2.9 reb 2.1 reb
5.3 ast 3.1 ast
62.5 rim % 62.4 rim %
34.3 3P% 37.3 3PT%
28.4 AST% 23.7 AST%
18.9 TOV% 22.1 TOV%
2.2 STL% 2.7 STL%
4.5 BPM (Box Plus Minus) 4.7 BPM (Box Plus Minus)

Those collegiate career numbers look pretty similar, right? If anything, there is an advantage to the first guy, who is taller and a better playmaker. Both players were high-major recruits who transferred to different schools, and both competed during the Final Four in 2021.

Player B is Davion Mitchell, who was selected as a top-10 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings. Player A, of course, is Nembhard — who is a projected second-rounder on most mock drafts that have included him at all.

I’m not saying that Nembhard will hear his name in the lottery, but even before the combine, I’d say his draft stock was a bit underrated.

One measurement that I like for floor generals is assist-to-usage, which determines how often a player gets an assist relative to how often they had the ball. Among those who were invited to the NBA draft combine this year, Nembhard (1.34) ranked third-best this past season.

But like Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones — to whom Nembhard compared himself on the TV broadcast after the scrimmage concluded — Nembhard’s ball control is where he stands out. Last season, his assist-to-turnover ratio ranked the best among all prospects in this class.

Nembhard isn’t someone I’d peg as having an All-Star ceiling, but if he can have a similar career to someone like Jones, he will have a long professional career.

This class has some interesting guard-like prospects near the top of the class. Some of those names (e.g. Jaden Ivey, Johnny Davis, Dyson Daniels, TyTy Washington, Terquavion Smith, Ryan Rollins) are incredibly talented, but Nembhard is a much more accomplished passer than any of them.

His athleticism isn’t going to blow you away, but his lane agility ranked in the 97th percentile during athletic testing, and it was the second-best time during the combine in 2022.

I’m a fan of Nembhard, and maybe he isn’t a first-rounder. But he could be a great value play as he continues to develop his game at the next level.

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Gonzaga senior Andrew Nembhard to enter 2022 NBA draft

Nembhard announced that he will declare for the NBA draft and forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility. 

Gonzaga senior Andrew Nembhard on Thursday announced that he will declare for the 2022 NBA draft and forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility.

Nembhard, who was named to the All-WCC first team, averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 32 games. He finished the season ranked 15th in the country in assists per game and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.97).

The 6-foot-5 guard is widely projected to be a second-round pick given his ability as a scorer and facilitator. He proved to be a strong shooter, converting 38.3% from 3-point range on seven attempts per game, and projects to be a viable backup point guard option for teams in the draft.

Nembhard will have the opportunity to improve his draft positioning by participating in private workouts with teams. He also figures to be a strong candidate to earn an invitation to compete in the draft combine or NBA G League Elite Camp next month.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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How to bet Arkansas-Gonzaga in Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament

Gonzaga and Arkansas are a combined 0-4 ATS in the tourney.

Gonzaga is a 9.5-point favorite over Arkansas for Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup, the same spread the Zags were favored by against Memphis in the Round of 32.

That game saw Gonzaga eek out a four-point win while failing to cover for the sixth time in its last eight games, according to Covers. One of the other two games resulted in a push, leaving Gonzaga with a single cover since Feb. 16.

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Arkansas, on the other hand, finished regular season play much better ATS but also has yet to cover through two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks’ failure to do so stems from an offense that struggles to put teams away. Against both Vermont and New Mexico State, they held halftime leads that would have covered but were then outscored in the second half.

Gonzaga’s games have gone the complete opposite direction, as the Bulldogs are a combined -8 in the first half of games this tourney and +33 in the second half. However, their 10-point halftime deficit in the Second Round came against a Memphis team that scores better than Arkansas.

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 4 Arkansas

Spread: Gonzaga -9.5 (-115)

Moneyline: Gonzaga (-520), Arkansas (+370)

Total: 154.5 (-110)

(odds via Tipico as of 3/23/22 at 5 p.m.)

[afflinkbutton text=”Gonzaga (-9.5)” link=”https://media.tipico.com/C.ashx?btag=a_93b_163c_+++SLUG+++&affid=47&siteid=93&adid=163&c=+++SLUG+++”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Arkansas (+9.5)” link=”https://media.tipico.com/C.ashx?btag=a_93b_163c_+++SLUG+++&affid=47&siteid=93&adid=163&c=+++SLUG+++”]

The Razorbacks aren’t likely to put as much distance between themselves and Gonzaga. And while they defend well, they simply don’t have the size to shutdown the likes of Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme over the course of a full game. I fully expect Gonzaga to win this game and cover the spread with a second-half push.

I also think the game eclipses the 154.5-point total. These two teams both play an uptempo style of basketball, which should lead to a lot of points — even if they don’t come on the most efficient of shooting. Three of the four tourney games between these two teams have hit their overs.

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Aggregate NBA mock draft 4.0: Duke’s AJ Griffin is soaring back into the top tier

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from Draft Express (ESPN), Aran Smith (NBADraft.net), Sam Vecenie (The Athletic), Jonathan Wasserman (Bleacher Report), Chad Ford (NBA Big Board), Krysten Peek (Yahoo), Matt Babcock (Basketball News) as well as USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score in order to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion. Predictions for a first overall pick earned a player 58 points while the second overall pick earned 57 points, the third overall earned 56 points, and so on.

AJ Griffin (Duke), Alondes Williams (Wake Forrest), Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Walker Kessler (Fresno State), Justin Lewis (Marquette), Christian Braun (Kansas), and Tari Eason (LSU) have improved their draft stock the most since our most recent update last month.\

The most notable prospects who made their debut on our rankings were Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky), David Roddy (Colorado State), and Jaylin Williams (Arkansas).

Meanwhile, the top prospects who were not included in any of these recent mock drafts are Daimion Collins (Kentucky), Alex Fudge (LSU), Justin Moore (Villanova), Darius Days (LSU), Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall), Tre Mitchell (Texas), Dawson Garcia (North Carolina), and more.

Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report