A 2 time All-WCC member and a key member of the dominant Gonzaga teams of the last couple of years, Andrew Nembhard had a strong senior season. On the year, Nembhard averaged 11.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 1.9 TOPG on shooting splits of 45/38/87. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Andrew Nembhard
Height/Weight: 6’4 ½ / 196
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’6/8’3
Hand size: 9 ½
Position: PG
College/ country: Florida
Tools: Playmaking, IQ
Pros:
- Great vision; excellent playmaker
- Tight handle
- Good floater
- Thrives in the P&R
- Good instincts on defense; times his shot contests well
- Sharp basketball IQ
- Reliable scoop move on drives
- Has a mini post-game
Cons:
- Low release/ poor mechanics on jump shot
- Shooting against tight defense
- Short frame
- Often on his heels on defense
- Poor finisher at the rim (freshman)
- Can struggle to recover on hard change of directions on drive
Summary:
Andrew Nembhard is one of the best playmakers in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Defensively, while his mediocre frame limits the impact of his closeouts, Nembhard times jump shots well defensively, which can throw off the shooter’s rhythm. Even if the actual contest/ hand in the face is less impactful, the instincts of Nembhard can alter the shooter’s shot, which is a meaningful defensive trait. Nembhard’s overall instincts are easily noticed on the court, which plays into his strong feel for the game. The main concern for Nembhard defensively is rooted in his ability to guard drives: he can get twisted too easily on hard drives, and simply not stay with quick guards. If he has a strong rim protector behind him, this weakness can be minimized. However, if there is no help at the rim, Nembhard can be exploited on the defensive end.
As a scorer, Nembhard has a bit of a way to go. At Florida, he really struggled to score at the rim, but with more NBA talent and catering the offense to him at Gonzaga, Nembhard became a sufficient finisher at the rim in a smaller sample size. Nembhard’s driving ability and scoring at the rim will be a big swing factor in his NBA success.
Andrew Nembhard took a big jump as a shooter in his senior year, which largely in part was because of hitting open shots at a high rate. NBA teams will sag off of Nembhard, because the entire WCC did, and he made them pay. The questions regarding his shooting becomes: can he continue that shooting success in the NBA on open shots, and can he hit similar shots with tight defense against him? Nembhard hit behind screens often at the 3 point line, which could be negated with a blitz through the/more aggressive P&R coverage.
Nembhard is rising on draft boards, so look for him to go in the late first round to early second round. Seniors are not usually risers this late in the process, but Nembhard may be someone that teams feel they can unlock the true upside of.
Similar to: baby Rajon Rondo
Projected draft range: 24-45
Expected role: Low-mistake playmaker
Unplayable if: Jump shooting never grows and finishing ability regresses to his Florida production, making him a non-threat offensively beyond playmaking.
Exceeds expectations if: Either defense becomes well above average, or his jump shooting approaches league average.
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