Donovan Mitchell has scored 81 points through the first two games of the second-round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers. He posted 48 points and nine assists in Game 2, shooting 50.0 percent from the field along the way.
For as remarkable as that may be, a stunning truth has prevailed: Andrew Nembhard is officially the Pacers' Mitchell stopper.
Mitchell has been otherworldly thus far, which likely makes a statement of this nature difficult to process. That's admittedly fair, as it's challenging to classify a player averaging 40.5 points per game as an individual who has been stopped by anyone.
One of the primary reasons the Pacers are up 2-0 on the Cavaliers, however, is the fact that Nembhard has been Mitchell's kryptonite.
Nembhard has played well on offense in his own right, helping to pace Indiana along. He posted 23 points and six assists in Game 1, and finished with 13 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and two steals during Game 2—converting a crucial and-one late in the fourth quarter.
In addition to providing a balanced offensive attack that's helped offset some of Mitchell's dominant scoring numbers, Nembhard has locked the Cavaliers' superstar down.
Andrew Nembhard is locking Donovan Mitchell down
Nembhard has already spent 13:40 defending Mitchell through two games. During that time, he's defended 17 field goal attempts and six three-point shots from a player who seemingly can't miss when defended by anyone else.
Nembhard has found the key to shutting Mitchell down, however, holding him to 4-of-17 shooting from the field and an 0-of-6 mark from beyond the arc.
It's been a truly magnificent display of defensive prowess from one of Indiana's most important players. It also comes on the heels of Nembhard holding Damian Lillard to 3-of-13 shooting from the field during the first round.
In other words: Over the past five games, Nembhard has limited Lillard and Mitchell to combined 7-of-30 shooting from the field.
Nembhard's emergence as an elite-guard defensive specialist has been essential to Indiana's success. That's been especially true against Cleveland, as no one other than Nembhard seems to be having any luck against Mitchell.
In terms of high-volume defensive matchups, MItchell has thus far shot 7-of-12 against Aaron Nesmith, as well as an identical 7-of-12 against Tyrese Haliburton.
Thankfully, Nembhard has been the nightmare matchup that Mitchell hasn't yet figured out how to overcome. His defense, as well as his tremendous value as a scorer and playmaker, has proven to be the difference early in this series.
It's hard to imagine Mitchell allowing any one player to lock him down across a full series, but Nembhard appears up to the task through two games.