Playing basketball for your country in the Olympics can lead to growth in the NBA, and the Indiana Pacers have plenty of reason to believe that will happen with Andrew Nembhard this coming season.
Prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the last Pacers player to be an Olympian was Paul George in 2016. He was a part of Team USA, and they rolled to a gold medal in Rio. George came back to the NBA and set a new career high in points per game and field goal percentage on his way to his fourth All-Star appearance. Leandro Barbosa spent 2012 with the Pacers before playing for Brazil in the London games that year and came back to the NBA a more refined passer, albeit not with Indiana.
Nembhard (and Tyrese Haliburton) can replicate that pattern. The 24-year old and the rest of Team Canada won’t be happy with a 5-8th place finish after falling to France on Tuesday, but it may lead to more long-term success for the young Pacers guard.
“Point guard is a vital position in FIBA, the games are short, every possession matters and that’s one of his great strengths,” Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada’s men’s national team, said of Nembhard. “He’s a very, very good decision maker, very calm.”
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At his best, Nembhared showed why he drew praise from teammates Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the Olympics. His scoring, both within the flow of the offense and to his own rhythm, were valuable for the Canadian bench. Murray struggled from the field, but the second unit with him and Nembhard was still effective in large part thanks to that duo’s potency playing either on or off of the ball.
When Canada needed Nembhard to score, he did. He had 18 points against Spain to secure Canada’s top spot in Group A, for example. When passing was more important, he found his teammates — the young ball hander had five assists in a win over France during a pre-Olympics exhibition.
That balance is exactly what Nembhard tries to strike every night with the Pacers. Some nights, playing next to Haliburton means that Nembhard needs to cut and shoot when open. Other outings, he will have to create his own shot. In between, he’s a terrific connector. Playing alongside different talented guards with Canada showed Nembhard’s improvements in those areas.
“He plays with the highest of IQs, he’s probably one of my favorite players in the NBA right now, he’s just very underrated,” Murray said of Nembhard.
In his four Olympic outings, Nembhard averaged 6.3 points and 1.3 assists per game. He shot 63.6% on two-point looks and 50% from long range without missing a free throw. Turnovers were his only statistical blemish, but he more than made up for it with great defense, efficient scoring, and useful passing.
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For Nembhard, improvement next season could mean a number of things. It could be better shooting from long range, or refined attacking abilities. Perhaps he becomes a better passer or cutter. Maybe his scoring jumps as his unique mid-range jumper falls more often. The most boring, yet most likely, path is that he gets incrementally better at many skills.
Regardless of what improvement looks like for Nembhard this coming season, he showed how his game fits next to anyone in the Olympics. He played, and defended, every position one through three. He did that in various lineups that took different shapes. Indiana has a deep team that will have a similar amount of lineup options this season. The more Nembhard can fit in, the better — players like him who have two-way ability hit the court for big minutes.
The Canadian guard finished last season incredibly strong by putting together two dominant outings in the Eastern Conference Finals. He showed his high ceiling in those games, and he was named to Team Canada about a month later. It was an incredible summer for Nembhard.
He will get closer to his ceiling this coming season — which is part of why the Pacers gave him a three-year contract extension late in July. They believe in his future and want him around for the long haul.
Now, they’ll have him, and he’s coming off of a pivotal basketball moment — he just played in his first Olympics. The crowds are bigger, and the stakes are higher. Nembhard handled it well, and he now enters a third season with the Pacers that should be his best yet.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a four-game home stand to open up the 2024-25 season, the Louisville men’s basketball program is heading back to The Bahamas to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis, and will kick off the event against regional rival Indiana.
The Pat Kelsey era of the Cardinals is off to solid start, although they have played imperfect basketball during their 3-1 start to the season. They’re averaging 81.0 points per game and have a 18.3 scoring margin, but have shot just 29.4 percent from deep on the year, and lost by 22 to Tennessee in their lone game vs. a power conference team.
As for the Hoosiers, they’re off to an undefeated start in year four under head coach Mike Woodson. All of their games have been won by at least double figures, including an 87-71 victory over South Carolina. Mackenzie Mgbako is leading the charge for IU with 18.8 points per game.
This will be the 22nd all-time regular season meeting between Louisville and Indiana, with the Hoosiers owning a 12-9 advantage. IU has won the last two matchups against UofL, including a 74-66 decision back on Nov. 20, 2023 in their last matchup in the Empire Classic.
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(Photo of Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)
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New Orleans Pelicans (4-13, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (7-10, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Indianapolis; Monday, 7 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -5.5; over/under is 228
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans heads into the matchup against Indiana as losers of four straight games.
The Pacers are 5-2 in home games. Indiana ranks fifth in the league with 17.0 fast break points per game led by Bennedict Mathurin averaging 4.5.
The Pelicans have gone 1-7 away from home. New Orleans averages 14.2 turnovers per game and is 3-4 when turning the ball over less than opponents.
The Pacers are shooting 48.7% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 48.5% the Pelicans allow to opponents. The Pacers average 103.8 points per game, 14.3 fewer points than the 118.1 the Pacers allow to opponents.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam is averaging 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Pacers.
Brandon Ingram is scoring 22.9 points per game and averaging 5.8 rebounds for the Pelicans.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 4-6, averaging 111.7 points, 38.9 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.5 points per game.
Pelicans: 1-9, averaging 100.2 points, 42.7 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.
INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Ben Sheppard: out (oblique).
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Pelicans: Zion Williamson: out (hamstring), Yves Missi: day to day (shoulder), CJ McCollum: day to day (thigh), Herbert Jones: out (shoulder ), Dejounte Murray: day to day (hand), Jose Alvarado: out (hamstring).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Washington Wizards are still in the loss column after falling to the Indiana Pacers 115-103 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday evening.
The Wizards remained competitive throughout the game, especially after the first half when they led by two points going into halftime.
However, the Pacers pulled ahead in the second half and were able to cruise to a double-digit victory.
The Pacers had seven players scoring in double figures, including a team-high 22 points from Pascal Siakam. Myles Turner had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
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The Wizards were sorely missing their leading scorer in Jordan Poole, who was ruled out prior to the game with a hip injury. That put Kyshawn George into the starting lineup, where he scored 15 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
All five starters scored in double figures with Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr scoring 17 points apiece for the team-high.
With 11 consecutive losses, the Wizards remain at the bottom of the NBA standings, but there are some positives that the team will walk away with.
The Wizards will look to snap their losing streak back at home on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.
Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
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