The steady hand: Andrew Nembhard’s value shines bright in Pacers’ playoff run
The Pacers guard continues to prove his value on both ends, excelling in the playoffs, embracing every challenge, and embodying the team’s competitive identity.
Andrew Nembhard’s teammates are quick to praise him for the work he does at both ends of the floor. Each night, the third-year guard takes on the team’s toughest defensive assignment.
“We’re not surprised by anything Drew does,” Obi Toppin said.
“He just loves competition,” added Tyrese Haliburton.
The Pacers were enamored with Nembhard in 2022 and ultimately selected him 31st overall. They liked that he came from a winning program at Gonzaga. They admired how he didn’t let an injury stop him from competing at the Draft Combine. And they appreciated that, despite weather issues delaying his first pre-draft workout in Indy, he still made it to town just before the draft.
Then he impressed them so much over his first two seasons that they rewarded him with a three-year, $59 million extension this past summer.
But that deal doesn’t kick in until the 2025-26 season — meaning he’s currently on one of the best-value contracts in the NBA, earning just $2 million this year.
In the Pacers’ 117-98 Game 1 win over the Bucks, it was Nembhard who helped set the tone. He scored eight of their first 21 points — all four field goals at the rim, attacking aggressively.
“I thought Drew did a great job getting us started in transition, getting downhill,” Haliburton said. “And then we all kind of just fed off that.”
Nembhard, 25, spent most of Game 1 defending Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. According to NBA tracking data, he allowed just three points in those seven minutes.
He’s the team’s best point-of-attack defender — but don’t pigeonhole him. He’s a dynamic, selfless player who rises to the occasion. He did it in his rookie season, hitting multiple game-winners and consistently delivering in big moments. He was named a Rising Star but didn’t receive enough votes to make an All-Rookie Team.
Big moments don’t faze him. They don’t speed him up. He welcomes pressure. We all remember his Game 3 heroics against the Knicks last postseason — draining the game-winner despite not scoring in the first 46 minutes.