Just a few weeks ago, the Indiana Pacers opted not to draft Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard despite him filling a need and being the brother of Andrew Nembhard. This was a questionable decision at the time, and it looks even worse for Indiana after the younger Nembhard stole the show during his first game of summer league.
Nembhard, who joined the Dallas Mavericks as an undrafted free agent, scored 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting, five assists, two rebounds, and a steal in 33 minutes. He looked excellent on the court and proved he might just have what it takes to be an asset in Dallas.
With Tyrese Haliburton out for all of next season, the Pacers have a lot of point guard questions they need to answer. While he alone would not have solved them, bringing Nembhard in would have been a huge help to the team (not to mention it would have been an incredible story). However, while it is still incredibly early, this decision is already looking worse for the Pacers, and it could come back to bite them down the line.
The Pacers have some major point guard problems
To say that having to play next season without Haliburton is brutal for Indiana would be an understatement. He is one of the best point guards in the NBA and is the engine of the Pacers' elite offense. Furthermore, he just had one of the most magical individual playoff runs the league has seen in recent history. With him on the shelf for the entire season, the Pacers have a lot of problems they need to work out.
As it stands, they will likely slide the older Nembhard to point guard full-time and rely on T.J. McConnell as his primary backup. While this is their best option, it is still not ideal. The Pacers now have less depth than they did even just a month ago, and it might be important for them to utilize a third point guard in the rotation. Fortunately for the Pacers, they have a few options. However, they are less than ideal.
The Pacers drafted Kam Jones early in the second round. While he has a lot of potential, he is also dealing with a hamstring injury (it is unknown if this is an injury to the same hamstring he tweaked during the draft combine). If this is a nagging injury, that could be a big problem for Indiana. Additionally, they recently re-signed Quenton Jackson, though it is only to a two-way deal.
With next year likely going to be a gap year for the Pacers, there is not much pressure for them to compete. Instead, they will probably use next season as an opportunity to experiment with their rotations and lineups.
It is important to remember that the Pacers still have a bright future. Although next season looks pretty grim, the Pacers still have a young and talented roster and could still make some noise. Even so, there is another player out there they could have had that could have made next year a lot earlier for them. The only problem is that he is in Dallas, and he might carve out a legitimate role over there if all goes well.