By now, it should be a surprise to nobody to see Andrew Nembhard step up and be a playoff hero for the second consecutive year. However, Nembhard plays his best basketball when the lights are at their brightest on both sides of the ball, and it is about time he gets his respect for what he does on the defensive side.
Pacers fans are well aware of Nembhard's defensive contributions. He is pesky and is arguably the Pacers' best perimeter defender. He was solid last year, but he took it up another level this season, and if it were not for one of the NBA's most controversial rules, Nembhard would have been in legitimate consideration for a defensive award.
Nembhard's defensive value was on display in the Pacers' Game 1 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and as they look to pull off the upset, the team will rely on him even more from here on out.
Andrew Nembhard did a fantastic job against Donovan Mitchell in Game 1
The Cavaliers ended the regular season with 64 wins and entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the East. Most of their success is because of Donovan Mitchell, who earned his sixth consecutive All-Star selection this year. In order for Cleveland to go on a deep playoff run and return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2018, they will rely heavily on Mitchell. For the most part, this is a good strategy as Mitchell is one of the best shooting guards in the NBA. However, this did not work out too well for the Cavaliers in Game 1, and that is mostly because of Nembhard.
In the loss, Mitchell scored 33 points, which is phenomenal on the surface. However, he shot just 13-for-30 from the field and 1-for-11 from three-point land. Nembhard was Mitchell's primary defender, and it is clear that he made things difficult for the Cavaliers star.
It is important to note that the Cavaliers were without Darius Garland, who is dealing with a toe injury. Once he returns, it will take a bit of pressure off Mitchell and make things easier for the Cavaliers overall. However, even so, Nembhard is proving that he is a force on the defensive side of the ball and can contain even some of the NBA's top scorers.
For the rest of the series, Nembhard will be crucial to Indiana's success, not just for his offense, but also for the value he brings defensively. The Pacers are far from a perfect defensive team, but they have improved drastically, and a lot of that can be attributed to Nembhard's development. Nembhard has the potential to be a top defender in the NBA if he is not one already, and he deserves his flowers.