RJ Nembhard broke out in his final season at TCU, earning All-Big 12 honors. As a redshirt junior, Nembhard averaged 15.7 PPG, 4 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, and 3.6 TOPG on shooting splits of 40/34/78. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: RJ Nembhard
Height/Weight: 6’4 ¾ / 194
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’9 ½ / 8’5 ½
Hand size: 10
Position: G
College/ country: TCU
Tools: Frame, athleticism
Pros:
- Big playmaker
- Excellent athlete with quick burst
- Good size for combo guard
- Good at finding cutters and fits a modern motion offense
- Good vision out of the P&R
Cons:
- Awkward shooting motion- starts low, low release and lots of movement
- Needs to reduce turnovers and tighten handle
- Needs to become more comfortable going left
- Must add strength
- Lacks a strong mid range game
- Needs to be more consistent at finishing at the rim
Overall:
RJ Nembhard is a combo guard with good size that specializes in isolation scoring and using his athleticism on both ends of the floor. The major area Nembhard has to unlock in order to hit his upside is to fix his jump shot. He has a lot of movement in the shot, and it overall is unorthodox, hence his 3 point percentage never eclipsing 34% at TCU. However, he has good touch, so if he can smoothen out his release, there’s high potential with an ability to shoot over defenders. While Nembhard is good at finding cutters and seeing the floor, he makes avoidable mistakes with the ball in his hands too much as a primary creator. Another area Nembhard needs to improve is his left hand, which goes into his finishing struggles and overall inefficiencies. While Nembhard is skilled in getting to the rim, defenses oftentimes forced him left, which in turn stagnated the offense. Nebmhard prefers to finish right, and can make plays harder than they need to in order to finish with his dominant hand. Look for Nembhard to get picked up on a two-way contract, which will help him refine his game in the G-League.
Similar to: DeAndre Bembry, Josh Jackson
Projected draft range: Undrafted
Expected role: Combo guard that can create in isolation for both himself and others, and can hold his own defensively
Unplayable if: Jump shot never comes along.
Meets expectations if: Left hand develops, and he refines his hitch in his jumper.
Shot chart:
