Andrew Nembhard has definitely outperformed his current contract in the NBA. Nembhard was selected with the first pick of the second round (31st overall) in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. The 6-5” guard signed a four-year contract worth around $8.5 million after being drafted.
In the two seasons since being drafted, the now 24-year-old has been a staple of Indiana’s starting lineup. After his two seasons in the NBA, it is fairly evident that Nembhard is deserving of a hefty raise.
Pacers To Hand Postseason Hero Contract Extension?
Andrew Nembhard Could Be In Line For Substantial Raise
The Pacers made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals this season. While they were swept there by the Boston Celtics, three of the four games were there for the taking for Indiana.
Throughout that postseason run, Nembhard made numerous big shots and made an impact on both sides of the floor. He hit a huge three-pointer late in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks to help Indiana get back in that series after they lost the first two meetings. Now according to Marc Stein, the Pacers are expected to hand him a contract extension.
Nembhard’s game was placed further in display after star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was forced to miss Games 3 and 4 against Boston. The Pacers lost both games to the heavily favored Celtics by only three points despite being without their best player. In the two outings, Nembhard totaled 56 points and 19 assists.
Andrew Nembhard last two games (without Haliburton):
28 PPG/9.5 APG/5.0 RPG on 68% TS and 27.1% USG
Reminds me a lot of the three games Brunson played without Doncic in the 2022 Playoffs. Right before his breakout season in New York…Just saying. pic.twitter.com/9DfuYylMxq
— Mat Issa (@matissa15) May 28, 2024
Impressive Start To NBA Career Through Two Seasons
After playing collegiately at Florida in his freshman and sophomore seasons, Nembhard transferred to Gonzaga. In his junior season, Gonzaga went undefeated and reached the National Championship game, but fell to Baylor.
Over his two seasons with Gonzaga, Nembhard posted averages of 10.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.3 steals while connecting on 35.8% of his three-point tries. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Coast Conference Tournament in 2022.
After coming off the bench in his first eight career NBA games, Nembhard started 63 of the remaining 67 contests he appeared in his rookie season of 2022-23. Nembhard finished the season with averages of 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He shot 44.1% from the field, 35.0% on three-point tries, and 79.0% from the charity stripe.
This season, Nembhard started 47 of his 68 appearances. While there was a slight decrease in his scoring average, he shot better across the board with a shooting split of .498/.357/.810. His per-game averages for 2023-24 were 9.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.
Nembhard was in the starting lineup for all 17 of the Pacers playoff games. His averages in the postseason jumped to 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. His shooting split was an impressive .560/.483/.769. Indiana went 47-35 this season resulting in their first postseason appearance since 2020. This was also the first time that the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2014.
