The golden summer of Andrew Nembhard? Coming off NBA run and contract extension, former Gonzaga guard is bracing for ‘surreal’ Olympic moment

LAS VEGAS – Andrew Nembhard usually has the ability to see plays before they unfold, but even for a point guard with his processing speed and intuition, it would’ve required some impressive foresight to predict or anticipate each of the major life events, opportunities and moments that have defined the last four months for the former Gonzaga standout and 24-year-old Indiana Pacer.

The first hash on the timeline was an NBA Playoff run that started in late April and nearly bled into the early stages of June.

Nembhard, one of the league’s promising, young set-up men, played a starring role next to All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton, knocked down the shot of his career to beat the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and became Indiana’s go-to scoring option when Haliburton went down in the Conference Finals, averaging 21.0 points and 7.8 assists in a 4-0 series loss the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

When Nembhard’s postseason ended later than most in NBA circles anticipated, the second-year pro started what was left of an abbreviated offseason before reporting to Canadian Olympic training camp two weeks later. The Ontario native was one of 20 players invited to the initial camp held in Toronto and not unexpectedly was among the 12 players selected to travel to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

“It’s crazy, it’s a surreal moment for sure,” Nembhard said from T-Mobile Arena on July 10 in Vegas, roughly an hour after Canada’s roster was finalized and eight hours before a much-anticipated exhibition against former college coach Mark Few and the U.S.. “It’s something I thought I could do, but it’s nice to be able to say you’re doing it now. For sure.”

When the Canadians tip off against Greece on Saturday (12 p.m. PT) in the Olympic opener, the ink will still be fresh on Nembhard’s new NBA contract, which ties him to the Pacers for at least the next three years – a deal that’s estimated to be worth $59 million.

Nembhard hopes the next addition to his summer timeline will be a gold medal in Paris.

“I’m feeling good about what I can do,” he said. “I think I can come off the bench and make an impact on both sides of the floor and do whatever the team needs me to do, being versatile on both sides of the ball.”

Reluctant to make a decision that would interfere with the progress he made as a rookie in the NBA, Nembhard elected not to join Canada last summer at the FIBA World Cup and focused on taking the next step with the Pacers, joining the team for Summer League games in Las Vegas.

So, reuniting with his countrymen this summer has meant integrating with new teammates, relearning the rules of FIBA competition and getting a crash-course education on the playbook of coach Jordi Fernandez, who replaced Nick Nurse last summer before Canada’s trip to the World Cup.

Nembhard’s fortunate to have a few things working in his advantage. For one, an exceedingly high basketball IQ, which has allowed the point guard to excel at every level he’s played: a high school stint with prestigious Montverde Academy, college stops at Florida at Gonzaga, international competition with Canada’s youth/senior teams and two solid years with the NBA’s Pacers.

“He’s one of the smartest players,” said Canadian teammate RJ Barrett, a former third overall pick of the New York Knicks. “I’m biased because he’s been my point guard since I was like 9. So I’m biased, I love the guy. You saw some of his abilities in the playoffs and hopefully with us he’ll be able to show that.”

Barrett alluded to the second advantage Nembhard has in this international setting. Familiarity.

“Andrew’s known these guys growing up,” Fernandez said. “Especially his age group is I think Nickeil (Alexander-Walker), Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander), RJ. Those guys are all very close, they all know each other so it’s just very cool he just comes here and fits in right away. He’s a pro and he’s a very, very good player. So he’s another guy that’s part of our team right now but also part of our future.”

Growing up in the Toronto suburb of Aurora, Ontario, Nembhard had semi-regular run-ins with a handful of his Olympic teammates. He recently joked his favorite memory while participating for Ontario Basketball Association (OBA) was beating a team that featured Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP runner-up of the Oklahoma City Thunder, along with cousin Alexander-Walker, a reserve guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The cousins are unison more than a decade later: it’ll be good to have Nembhard in the same uniform, as opposed to a different one, this week at the Olympics.

“Playing with Andrew is super fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It feels like he doesn’t make a mistake, he finds guys, he picks up full court. He’s like the perfect true point guard. That’s how I describe him.”

Alexander-Walker chimed in with effusive praise for Nembhard, who’s represented Canada in FIBA play at the U-16, U-17 and U-18 levels.

“He’s extremely poised and very skilled, highly intelligent guy,” Alexander-Walker said. “Thinks the game well, sees the floor. Not too much he can’t do. He plays a complete game and I think his demeanor sells him short sometimes. He plays really hard, but just the type of person he is, really cool dude. Like I said, I’ve known him for awhile so I’ve known and gotten to see his development, his growth and it’s very similar since he started.

“His dad was a coach and that helps as well, but his ability to think the game and what he sees on the floor. I’m a big fan of Drew and I tell everybody that.”

The familiarity doesn’t end with Olympic teammates Nembhard shared a postal code with as a child.

Gonzaga’s representation in Paris is highlighted nowhere more than on Canada’s roster, which also features Kelly Olynyk, a former All-American at GU and NBA veteran who’ll serve as co-captain for the Olympic team.

Olynyk rarely misses an opportunity to rib Nembhard for signing with Florida over Gonzaga out of high school, crediting Mark Few and his staff for being able to “save” the point guard, who transferred to the West Coast powerhouse for his final two seasons.

“I told him he should’ve went to Gonzaga from day one, but he screwed that up,” Olynyk laughed. “… I’m just kidding, but no he’s been great. His development has come a long, long way. Just to see him continue to grow and do big things on the NBA stage and on the world, national level is just awesome to see and you’re seeing it more and more now across a lot of these Canadian players.

“But Andrew’s a guys who’s put in a lot of work, had to transfer a little bit. His path wasn’t as seamless and easy as some people might think but he put in a lot of work and he continues to put in work and he’s a really talented player and it’s shown.”

Connor Griffin, a former Gonzaga walk-on guard who’s working for Canada as a video coordinator before moving on to become a full-time assistant for Fernandez and the Brooklyn Nets, introduced himself to Nembhard last July at Summer League.

Griffin said the guard gives Canada’s Olympic team a dimension in the backcourt it didn’t have while winning a bronze medal at the World Cup.

“He’s a floor general,” Griffin said. “He gets our offense organized, makes plays that others guys aren’t necessarily able to make. You have Jamal (Murray) and Shai who are more of that combo guard. Obviously they score and they can make plays for their teammates, but Andrew gets downhill at a high level, gets in the paint and then is able to find his shooters and his bigs from there. So that’s kind of a new component that we didn’t have as much last year.”

The understated and oft-underrated Nembhard has thrived in situations where he hasn’t been the focal point of the offense. That was the case at Montverde Academy, a team led by future lottery pick Barrett; at Gonzaga, where teammates included Corey Kispert, Jalen Suggs, Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme; and with the Pacers, who have a defined No. 1 option in Haliburton and now a secondary star in forward Pascal Siakam.

It’s not all that different from the environment Nembhard finds himself in this summer. Gilgeous-Alexander is widely considered a top-five player in the world and Murray is a former Finals champion with the Denver Nuggets. Barrett and Dillon Brooks are household names for anyone who follows the league.

Nembhard’s creeping into the second category and might already belong there if it was up to his Canada teammates.

In a video recently posted to FIBA’s TikTok page, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked to build his perfect player. In between choosing Kobe Bryant for “scoring” and Chris Paul for “game IQ,” Gilgeous-Alexander gave his selection for “passing.”

“Andrew Nembhard,” he said.

A similar video depicted Brooks choosing the “3 toughest opponents to guard.” After originally voting for Luka Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets guard revised his answer.

With a silent Nembhard sitting nearby and nodding his head as if to suggest what Brooks should say, the guard cracked a big grin and responded, “Andrew Nembhard.”

Nembhard, who’s had success in college and the NBA as both a primary ball-handler and off-ball guard, is expecting his role within Canada’s loaded backcourt to vary depending on the opponent and team’s needs on a given night.

“I think I’ll do a little bit of both,” Nembhard said. “I think that’s always going to be my thing. It always has been my thing, contrary to what people have thought growing up. I feel comfortable playing on and off and I want to do whatever it takes to win. It sounds cliche, but that’s what it is.”

Nembhard looks forward to what the next month has in store. A gold, silver or bronze medal may be in the cards, but constant jabs from Olynyk regarding his original college commitment are a near-guarantee whenever the Canadians have a bit of downtime.

“Yeah, he told me I messed that one up,” Nembhard laughed. “I’m glad it happened eventually, I loved being part of that (Gonzaga) program and I want to keep going back and seeing those guys going forward. It’s a real family and I support everything they’re doing.”

Before facing Few during the July 10 exhibition in Vegas, Nembhard said “it’s going to be different for sure. I love Fewie, but this is all competition and we want to go at him for sure.”

Nembhard had good reason to follow Gonzaga last year and should be glued to what the Bulldogs are doing again this fall. His younger brother, Ryan, broke Josh Perkins’ GU record for single-season assists, which meant passing Andrew at No. 9 on his way to the top.

“Good for him man. Beat all my records, had a good season,” Andrew said. “They’ve got a similar team coming back so I’m super excited what they can do this year and what he can do. I think he’s a really good player and it’s going to be a good year for him to show people what he can do.”