With Tyrese Haliburton out for the season with an Achilles injury, a lot of pressure immediately went onto Andrew Nembhard, who is the Indiana Pacers' starting point guard for this season. And finally, he has taken that next step as a playmaker and passer that the team was desperately hoping to see this season.
In his 12 games before the start of December, the Canadian native averaged 6.2 assists and 2.4 turnovers. This is far from ideal, but it was always expected that he would go through some growing pains as he got comfortable in his new role. In his last seven games, he's proven that he may finally be elevating his game as he has averaged 8.9 assists and just 1.9 turnovers.
Nembhard has become much more aggressive and decisive as both a scorer and a playmaker, which is exactly what he needs to be in Indiana's system. Opposing defenses are beginning to key in on the Gonzaga alum much more, and he's making them pay by reading the floor better, finding the open man, and making the right reads.
Nembhard is never going to be Haliburton, but the Pacers shouldn't expect him to be. He is still proving that he can lead their offense at a high level and bring the best out of himself and his teammates, which should pay dividends moving forward.
Andrew Nembhard's leap can help the Pacers in the long run
It's safe to say that Nembhard is moving back to shooting guard the second Haliburton suits up for Indiana again. However, this doesn't mean he will never be tasked with facilitating the ball or leading the offseason. In fact, until Haliburton returns to form, a lot of pressure may still be on Nembhard to carry the load.
Amidst Indiana's success over the past few seasons, Nembhard was always a secondary ball-handler who could step up in Haliburton's absence or in certain lineups. With him now seemingly being an even better playmaker, this could be huge for Indiana moving forward as it looks to re-enter the title picture as soon as next season.
Having another player to trust as a lead ball-handler could open up a lot more opportunities for the Pacers on offense. They can run different types of plays, maybe switch up the tempo a little more to play to Nembhard's strengths, and just have a much more versatile offensive system.
The Pacers' offense was already dangerous before, but it could be even greater next season and beyond. And that should terrify the rest of the NBA.