Pacers rookie Andrew Nembhard outplays Steph Curry
Monday night, the Pacers-Warriors game showcased a point guard who couldn't miss. And also Steph Curry.
Indiana's rookie point guard Andrew Nembhard, a second-round pick this June, outdueled Curry in a 112-104 win over Golden State. Nembhard finished with 31 points, 13 assists, and five three-pointers while shooting 62 percent from the floor. And he did this all without Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner, who sat out the game in San Francisco.
He and the Pacers also harassed Curry into his worst shooting game of the season. He shot 3-17 with Nembhard and the Pacers constantly sending double teams at him. It's a big change for Indiana, currently 20th in the NBA in defensive rating, who gave up 137 points to Sacramento and 139 to Utah in consecutive games last week.
Nembhard has emerged as the steal of the NBA draft. Last week, his coach, Rick Carlisle, told reporters he should have been a top-15 pick (Nembhard went No. 31, the first pick of the second round).
After last night's performance, Carlisle upped his estimate.
Nembhard's emergence as a potential top-10 talent could affect Indiana's trade plans later in the year. With Nembhard, 22-year-old Haliburton and 20-year-old Bennedict Mathurin (the No. 6 pick), the Pacers suddenly have a glut of young talent at the guard position. They also have Buddy Hield, who turns 30 in 11 days.
Mathurin has been coming off the bench, with Hield starting at small forward. But the Pacers also have 23-year-old Aaron Nesmith (acquired in the Malcolm Brogdon trade) at the wing, plus last year's No. 13 pick, Chris Duarte. That's a lot of young wing players, making Hield expendable.
Who has been trying to trade for Hield since 2021? Why, the Los Angeles Lakers! And who did Nembhard defeat with a last-second three-pointer, increasing their urgency to deal? Also the Lakers.
So far, Nembhard has given the Pacers a lottery-level talent. And he's making it much easier for the Pacers to flip Hield for another pick - maybe even two.
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