Prospect Overview
Mature, polished guard who backed up a stellar two year stint at Gonzaga with a standout showing while playing hurt at the NBA Draft Combine.
About Andrew Nembhard
A tall, battle-tested point guard with an excellent feel for the game, Nembhard was a stabilizing factor for a Gonzaga program that spent much of his two seasons atop the AP rankings and ranked among the most efficient offensive teams in the country. Emerging as a prospect averaging 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game playing up a year alongside RJ Barrett for Canada at the 2015 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, the Toronto native picked up considerable experience before reaching the college level competing at the U17 and U18 levels internationally before making his national team debut back in the summer of 2018, attending both the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic, and winning a national title as a senior at Montverde Academy (Fla.).
Considered a consensus top-25 prospect in the high school class of 2018, Nembhard spent his first two collegiate seasons at Florida starting every game he appeared in before transferring to Gonzaga ahead of his junior year. Coming off the bench quite a bit sharing backcourt minutes with Jalen Suggs and Joel Ayayi in his first season under coach Mark Few, the 22-year-old took on a clear leadership role as a senior averaging 11.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds over 32.1 minutes per game while shooting 38% on 3-pointers to earn All-WCC first team honors.
• Measured standing 6-foot-4.5 in shoes with a solid 196-pound frame and a 6-foot-5.75 wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, Nembhard has nice size for a point guard and tested better athletically than he did at the 2019 G League Elite Camp.
• A consummate floor general with a mature game, Nembhard handled the ball extensively as a senior creating more shots than he attempted running the pick and roll, orchestrating the Bulldogs’ efficient fast break, making free throws late in games and finding ways to score opportunistically from all three levels. Making notable strides as a jump shooter and showing a bit more burst than he had in the past attacking the rim, Nembhard rounded out his skill set in his final collegiate season. He is not the most dynamic scorer, but is a heady, team-first guard and perhaps the most well-known commodity of any prospect available in the 2022 NBA Draft.
• Competing with a sense of urgency defensively and displaying a strong understanding of where to be off the ball, Nembhard held his for the most part last season, but gave up quickness in some high-end matchups.
Advanced Stats
• Creating twice as many points with his passes out of the pick and roll than he scores and posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.1 in the half court, Nembhard is an unselfish, low-mistake player who consistently makes the right reads with the ball. Playing with good pace and using his size to his advantage as a passer, his ability to set the table for others stood out last season.
• Doing much of his scoring from the perimeter, Nembhard showed improvement as a jump shooter this season but still had a somewhat uneven year. He averaged 1.06 points per catch and shot jump shot [64th percentile] but a dramatically more impressive 1.06 points per dribble jump shot [90th percentile]. He did a terrific job punishing unders, but did not shoot the ball quite as consistently as one might expect with his feet set. He was a stellar free-throw shooter and had consistent improvement in the range and accuracy of his pull-up jumper.
• Playing above the rim with a head of steam but more steady than explosive as a slasher, Nembhard averaged 1.13 points per finishing opportunity in the half court [52nd percentile]. Picking and choosing his spots effectively while taking what defenses gave him — and often looking to drive and kick — Nembhard seldom forced the issue looking for his own offense last season.
Defensive Analysis
• Defending with good energy and strong fundamentals, Nembhard was steady on that end of the floor even if he was not always able to stay in front of more explosive guards.
• Doing some little things trying to help rebound and protect the rim in transition, he is a disciplined and smart team defender.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
