One of the most interesting dynamics of the Indiana Pacers' backcourt is that Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard complement each other perfectly. However, with Haliburton on the shelf for all of next season, the team needs to find out who will fill in the Nembhard role for the man himself.
As it stands, Nembhard is likely going to be the Pacers' full-time starting point guard next year. While the team's offense will likely look drastically different, the Canadian native is more than capable of running the show for a year. However, if the Pacers want to stay competitive next season, they must find the perfect complement to Nembhard.
Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote recently spoke about this exact thing and made it clear that this is likely one of the biggest questions Indiana must answer ahead of next season (h/t the Setting the Pace Podcast).
"I think the biggest question I have for [Nembhard] and I have for the season as a whole is, who is the Andrew Nembhard for Andrew Nembhard? Tyrese benefited last year, certainly, from the fact that they had Andrew Nembhard to apply 50 feet of pressure, take on the opposing team's best perimeter player, and be there and available as a secondary ball handler," Cooper said.
For the first time in his NBA career, Nembhard is in line for a full-time expanded role and will take on a big offensive load. There is still a lot of time for the Pacers to figure it out, but they must decide sooner rather than later who will be there to help make things easier for the Gonzaga native.
The Pacers have multiple options at shooting guard
Earlier this offseason, Pacers GM Chad Buchanan revealed that there is going to be a competition for the starting shooting guard spot next season. Some of the specific candidates he named were Bennedict Mathurin, Johnny Furphy, and even Aaron Nesmith, who is currently the team's starting small forward.
Now that he is going to run the point and be one of the bigger focal points of Indiana's offense, it is crucial that Nembhard has a legitimate partner-in-crime in the backcourt who can complement his game. While the safest assumption was that the Pacers would give the starting role to Mathurin, it seems like this is not a guarantee. Instead, the team is expected to hold a competition to see who works the best alongside Nembhard.
Though the general consensus is that the Pacers are going to be in for a gap year, the team likely doesn't feel the same way. It will be difficult for them to navigate life without Haliburton and Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this offseason. However, they still have a talented roster and can make some noise in the Eastern Conference. In order for them to do that, they need to assemble the best roster and lineups possible. This includes figuring out who is going to be the guy next to Nembhard to make his life a lot easier.