Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Pacific Northwest Sports audited 40 different mock drafts to see where Gonzaga Bulldogs point guard Andrew Nembhard winds up.
The NBA Draft is very important for the Gonzaga basketball program. On the one hand, it hurts when good players leave, especially underclassmen. On the other hand, Zags fans can celebrate their recent stars headed to play at the highest levels.
Putting players in the NBA is some of the best advertising Bulldogs Head Coach Mark Few can get when recruiting prospects. Every kid who considers joining the program has a dream to play in the Association. Showing players a clear path to their dream brings those recruits to Spokane.
In 2021, Gonzaga had two players drafted in the lottery, Jalen Suggs (Orlando, 5th overall) and Corey Kispert (Washington, 11th). This year Chet Holmgren will be another high pick. And then there is Andrew Nembhard.
After last year’s COVID shuffle, the NBA’s pre-draft season was back to business as usual in 2022. Probably no other player helped himself at the combine more than Nembhard.
The sources we use for the mocks may vary from edition to edition, but they are all credible. This time we included ESPN, USA Today, CBS Sports, Stadium Sports, NBC Sports, The Athletic, Sports Illustrated. and more.
Height: 6-5
Weight: 195 pounds
Wingspan: 6-6
Highest Draft Spot – Round 1, Milwaukee Bucks, 24th overall.
Lowest Draft Spot – Round 2, Cleveland Cavaliers, 58th overall.
Most Common Draft Spot – Round 1, Denver Nuggets, 30th overall.
Any team looking for a floor general should have Andrew Nembhard on their radar. When he’s on the court, there is no question about who’s running the team. It’s like having another coach on the floor.
It doesn’t mean Nembhard puts the whole burden on his shoulders. On occasion, he’s taken a game over when his team needed it, but that isn’t his bread and butter.
Nembhard is an unselfish distributor of the ball. An outstanding passer, he has a knack for both keeping the ball moving as well as finding the open man.
Watching him handle the ball in transition is a pleasure. He does it the right way, getting it up court efficiently.
He’s a plus defender who can handle opposing guards, playing with the type of tenacity coaches wish their entire team had. A very heady player, rarely is Nembhard out of position defensively. Additionally, at 6-5, he has excellent size for a point guard.
Obviously, Nembhard has some deficiencies, or he’d be a top 10 pick. First of all, while calm on the floor, he’s hardly explosive. Also, he can be a very streaky shooter from the outside.
Nembhard isn’t the type of player who will win games for his team with his talent. At the same time, he won’t lose games with mental mistakes or sloppiness. Over his two seasons with the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Nembhard had a 3.2 assist to turnover ratio.
The good news is that every draft we audited, that covered two rounds, had Andrew Nembhard’s name included on it. That’s a big change from six weeks ago. For comparison, on May 18, he appeared on 75 percent of mocks that included all 58 picks and not higher than 42nd overall.
As mentioned above, Nembhard probably helped himself at the combine more than anyone else who showed up in Chicago. He went from late second round pick to potential first rounder.
There was a quote from Kyle Boone of CBS that perfectly summed up where Nembhard stands in this draft. “Nembhard isn’t a top-25 talent in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he is easily one of the 25 most NBA-ready prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft.”
After looking over the mock drafts, late in the first round, teams looking for a point guard will decide between him and Kennedy Chandler of Tennessee.
Wherever he lands, almost every evaluation envisions Nembhard in a backup role initially. If he is a late first round pick, he’ll go to a good team. Denver at 30 is the destination that came up most often. Backing up Monte Morris would be a great spot for him.
Where do you think the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star Andrew Nembhard will go in the NBA draft? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.