Andrew Nembhard might be great as the Indiana Pacers' full-time point guard next season, but no matter what, he is not going to be Tyrese Haliburton.
The Pacers will be without their star guard for all of next season as he recovers from an Achilles injury. In his place, the team will slide Nembhard over to fill his role, which could have potential to work as he is a natural point guard. However, Indiana's offense is going to lose a big part of its dynamic next season, and they are going to go through their fair share of ups and downs, regardless of how well the Canadian native plays.
With Haliburton running the show, the Pacers utilize a fast-paced, run-and-gun type of offense. This is a challenging offense to execute, but the Pacers do so incredibly well, largely because of the Iowa State alum's skillset. However, with him on the shelf next season, the team will have to make some big changes and play to Nembhard's strengths.
Indiana will look to remain competitive next season despite many anticipating a gap year, and they should. They still have a talented roster and should be able to make some noise in the East. However, fans will soon realize that Nembhard is no Haliburton, and the team is going to look drastically different next season.
Andrew Nembhard has a completely different skillset to Tyrese Haliburton
There is a lot to like about Nembhard running the show for a year, but it is a pretty big dropoff to Haliburton. This is mostly because the two guards have completely different strengths, and for it to all work out, the Pacers need to change how their offense looks. At least for one season.
Haliburton is fantastic at pushing the pace, improvising, and making difficult reads. Furthermore, he is incredibly efficient and careful with the ball, even while pushing the tempo. As for Nembhard, he is more of a traditional point guard who excels in the half-court as a ball-handler. There is potential for this to work, but expecting him to be a one-for-one replacement for Haliburton would not be fair, and it would set him and the Pacers up for disaster.
Luckily for Indiana, they have one of the best head coaches in the NBA in Rick Carlisle. Not only is he an offensive mastermind, but he knows exactly how to play to his players' strengths and get the best out of them. Fans can expect this to be the case for Nembhard next season, but it is also important to temper expectations.
The Pacers may still be a solid team with Nembhard leading the way next year, but they are going to look completely different, and not in a good way.