Andrew Nembhard improving as a playmaker and creator is a must for the Indiana Pacers to make the playoffs in 2026. However, this would also pay larger dividends for the team when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his Achilles injury.
This season, the Pacers will slide Nembhard over to the point guard role full-time with Haliburton on the shelf. Though this is going to be a very difficult adjustment for Indiana to make, there is reason to believe things could turn out alright for the team.
Nembhard is a natural point guard and has proven in a small sample size that he can run the team without Haliburton. Additionally, this will give him a great opportunity to develop as a player. This would not only help the team succeed this upcoming season as they look to remain competitive without their star guard, but it will also help them in the future as they aim to re-enter the title picture.
Recently, Pacers beat writer Alex Golden made an appearance on the "Kevin O'Connor Show" and mentioned that, if Nembhard can develop this season, this should help take a lot of pressure off of Haliburton once he makes his return.
"You want to see growth from a guy like Andrew Nembhard. You want to see if he can actually run a team for 82 games in the regular season as that No. 1 guy. Last year, we saw so many teams face guarding Tyrese Haliburton at half-court trying to take him out of the offense because of what he was doing for the Pacers, and that put a lot of pressure on Nembhard to kind of be that guy, and he actually did it pretty well," Golden said.
The Pacers will have a lot of questions to answer this season. Most of them will be related to how the team can play without Haliburton or Myles Turner (who joined the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason), but how Nembhard will be able to step up will be another one.
Indiana will look completely different with the Canadian native running the show for a season. He is a completely different player from Haliburton, and the Pacers' offense will run differently because of it. However, as long as he can continue to play at a high level and showcase growth on the offensive side of the ball, he and the team should stay in a good position for the foreseeable future.
The Pacers need Andrew Nembhard to step up
Despite what many are expecting, the Pacers have not shown any indication that they want to tank for this season. Instead, they want to remain as competitive as possible and prove that they can compete without Haliburton and Turner.
Another deep playoff run is going to be highly unlikely, but in a wide-open Eastern Conference the Pacers may be able to make some noise. In order for them to do so, they will need everybody on the tea to step up, and this especially includes Nembhard, who will now be tasked with the biggest role of his career so far.
A lot of eyes will be on Nembhard. Not only is he going to take on a bigger role offensively as Indiana's primary ball-handler and playmaker, but he is also expected to still be tasked with guarding the opposing team's best player on a nightly basis.
This is a lot to put on the Gonzaga alum's plate, but it is a testament to exactly how much Rick Carlisle and the rest of the team trust him.
If the Pacers want to make the playoffs next season, it is crucial that Nembhard steps up and makes that jump. Furthermore, if he does, this will pay off for the team in the long run as it will add a whole new dynamic to their team when they get their star guard back.