Nembhard has a case as the best pure point guard in the draft class. Averaged 9.8 assists per game this season to lead the country. Became an expert in running Gonzaga's ball-screen continuity offense. Consistently makes the right decisions every time down the court to get his teammates the ball in areas where they want it. Posted a near 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Impeccable feel for the game.
It starts in transition. Finds outlet passes from his bigs immediately and pushes tempo to try to get an early bucket every time. Great at finding a quick hit-ahead if it's available, or at driving to draw defenders for a dump-off pass. Will thrive out on the break with tremendous athletes at the professional level.
As dynamic a ball-screen passer as you'll find entering the NBA. Can make every pass in the book. Manipulates defenders with his eyes in all sorts of directions to open passing angles. Throws passes from creative angles over his head or underneath with little scoops or pocket passes. Throws them off a live dribble with ease and can do so with either hand. Always seems to put the ball directly where his teammate wants it, directly in the shooting pocket for 3 or over his head at the rim for an easy catch. Reads the second and third levels of the defense well and is timely with when to find rollers or kickouts. Can hit the cross corner or cross-wing with velocity. Can throw effective jump passes on the interior to draw defenders. Always seems to be in control.
Nembhard isn't that sudden as a ballhandler but has the ball on a string and can put together multiple moves to keep his dribble alive, attack opposing defenders and shake away from them. Very comfortable in the middle of the court and can keep his dribble alive there after a ball screen.
As a scorer, he has a couple of counters that he can get to. Likes to find a midrange jumper a couple of times per game. Typically, will stop at the elbow area after a quick little shoulder or off-arm fend-off for a pull-up. Can do it from either side of the court, going to his right and planting with his left foot or going to his left and hitting a hop-step stepback. Plays off two feet, so he's always able to get back into a hop step to find an easy jumper. Made 45% of his midrange jumpers this year. Also was effective as a pull-up shooter from 3 over limited attempts. Hit 36.7% of his 1.5 attempts on those per game. Can go behind a screen, and if a defender goes under, he can occasionally pull up and make one.
Doesn't get to the rim often but is not a bad finisher when he does. When he chooses to drive, he goes in straight lines toward the rim and gets more downhill force than you expect. Can't really go through contact to get to the rim but does a good job of rejecting screens effectively to get there when necessary. Made 57.4% of his attempts at the rim because he is good at going directly to the rim to beat rotating defenders to the spot, and he's good at picking the spots where he can finish.
Took major strides this year as a catch-and-shoot asset. The jumper mechanics looked much improved this year, with better balance leading into the shot. Hit 44.4% of his catch-and-shoot chances but is clearly reluctant to fire on those and only attempted one per game.
I respect how hard he plays defensively. He's tough and willing to get into an opposing player's space at the point of attack. Has a low center of gravity, which allows him to be quick and beat opposing players to spots. Also knows where to rotate and won't crater a defense by being in the wrong spot. Very active with his hands, too. Grabbed 1.7 steals per game this year. Can be disruptive with digs and can poke the ball away from his man occasionally. He didn't hurt Gonzaga on that end this year.
The size is a serious issue. He's just 5 feet 11 without shoes with a 6-foot-2.25 wingspan. Has just a 7-foot-10 standing reach. That would make him among the smallest players in the NBA, and he is only 175 pounds. Will be very limited in certain respects because of it.
He also does not play as if he's a wild athlete. Incredibly balanced with unbelievable hand-eye coordination, but he doesn't have a massive first step or a particularly explosive vertical leap. You can feel it on the court at times, even though he makes up for it with how smart he is and how reactive he can be.
Ultimately, the issues are connected here for Nembhard on offense. Because he's not an elite athlete at his size, the worry is that bigger, longer athletes will be able to swallow him up on that end. He attempted only eight shots in two NCAA Tournament games this year, for instance, while turning the ball over 10 times. Houston particularly gave him some issues. Even though he had 11 assists, it was difficult for him to get paint touches against a long, physical defense. Struggles to separate because of that lack of suddenness, and defenders can recover against him too easily once he gets the initial ball-screen advantage. Can't beat a solid defender with athleticism and strength in isolation.
Nembhard will counter with pull-up jumpers, but he's often a reluctant shooter. Took only 2.7 3-point attempts per game and 8.5 field goal attempts per game. If teams don't respect his scoring ability, he might not be able to consistently break down defenses and force help as often as he'll need to.
He needs to become more willing to fire from distance when shots are available. He can do it effectively; he just needs to be more aggressive in that respect in the NBA.
Defensively, Nembhard presents some major disadvantages. He will be regularly attacked on defense because of his size. Bigger wings will have no issues shooting over the top of him and will work to get him switched onto them. Additionally, because he's only 175 pounds, I worry about wings just driving through his chest.
Nembhard is about as sharp and smart a passer as you'll ever find in this draft class. He is excellent with angles and is the consummate table-setter for those around him. He makes everyone's life easier with his presence, and it seems as though he takes pride in that. The issue here is just size. He's extremely small and a reluctant scorer. These things in combination with one another -- on top of not being the world's best athlete -- make it hard. I can see him sticking for a while as a third guard whom teams love having around on a two-way. He's a winning basketball player because of his feel. However, he's either going to have to become more aggressive as a scorer to stop defenses from keying in on his passing, or he's going to end up overseas. Still, I'd happily use a two-way on him as a developmental guard who makes great decisions and helps set the table.
