3 Indiana Pacers players who could be poised for a breakout season
By Jack Simone
2. Andrew Nembhard
Following a brilliant rookie season, Andrew Nembhard will not only be looking to expand on his game this year, but he’ll be hoping to contribute to winning basketball while he does it.
Nembhard appeared in 75 games as a rookie last year, starting 63 of them and playing 27.6 minutes per contest. He averaged 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 44.1% from the field and 35.0% from distance.
It seems likely that Nembhard is moved into a full-time bench role as guys like Bruce Brown and Bennedict Mathurin occupy the two and the three spots in the starting five, but that’s alright.
The 23-year-old guard shouldn’t have a hard time adapting to playing off the bench more consistently, and in reality, it could end up being what’s best for his game overall.
Off the bench, Nembhard will have the chance to play a variety of roles for the Pacers. If he’s playing next to TJ McConnell, he will play off the ball more, but if he’s running the offense by himself, that will be good experience, too.
If there’s one area he should look to improve in most, it’s his three-point shooting. If he can get that number up to around 38%, he’ll go from a promising young player to one of the better role players in the NBA.