Update on Andrew Nembhard: on his kidney stone, returning to practice and his priorities for the next week
The second-year guard was a full participant in practice and is preparing to play in their preseason finale.
Andrew Nembhard rejoined his teammates in training camp on Tuesday as a full participant for the first time in almost two weeks.
He sat out of Day 3 of camp with a sore neck, then had a kidney stone that needed to surgery to be removed on Oct. 6. He stayed behind in Indy to recover as the team left for a five-day preseason trip with stops in Memphis and Houston. Then, he returned to practice on Oct. 12, though he was limited to non-contact work.
Since then, he’s progressed to do more 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 over the weekend. And then he took part in the team’s walkthrough Monday before they beat the Atlanta Hawks in an exhibition game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“Nembhard is doing better,” head coach Rick Carlisle said on Monday. “Better each day.”
The second-year guard shot free throws with T.J. McConnell and Daniel Theis after practice, then worked on his defense by guarding intern Joel Okafor with assistant Jim Boylen coaching.
Then, Nembhard spoke with reporters for the first time in two weeks to update everyone on how he’s feeling.
“It’s been fun getting back in the gym, getting my feel back, being around the guys and hooping,” he said. “Just been getting back into it.”
Nembhard didn’t want to reveal too much, but clearly was in enough pain to meet with the medical staff and then undergo a procedure to remove the kidney stone. He said he’s not concerned with his conditioning level after being limited.
“I think that comes with just playing more,” he said. “It’ll come in a few games, something you got to fight through a little bit.”
And so, he plans to practice again on Thursday with the intention of playing in their preseason finale on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“He’s gotten a lot better,” said Bennedict Mathurin. “He’s gotten stronger. He was already a great two-way player and he took a bigger step. I’m really excited to see him play.”
The Pacers open the regular season at home on Oct. 25 against the Washington Wizards. In the meantime, the next week for Nembhard will be about regaining his game rhythm and timing, knowing the plays, and being in tune with what they’re doing on both sides of the ball.