As we saw in Saturday night’s preseason game against Atlanta<\/a>, Haliburton did not play because of a minor ankle injury and the Pacers started Nembhard at the point and inserted Kelly Oubre Jr. at the wing. This is the benefit having a versatile combo guard on the roster who wears so many hats.<\/p>\n In Wednesday’s preseason game against Minnesota, Nembhard played the backup point guard role with T.J. McConnell sidelined. He helped spearhead a big run thanks to his defensive presence and by pushing the ball. <\/p>\n Nembhard is an invaluable piece to this team, but as he enters the prime of his NBA career, what is the next step he can take in his career?<\/p>\n A group of our writers for Sports Illustrated share our thoughts.<\/p>\n Alex Golden Oct 10, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) dribbles the ball while Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n The responsibilities for Nembhard this season will be different than last year, but equally as important. <\/p>\n Still regarded as the team’s best on-ball defender, it will be his job on a night-to-night basis to matchup against the opponents best guard. While drawing the most difficult guard matchup is a challenge, so is staying out of foul trouble. <\/p>\n If Nembhard has to go to the bench with foul trouble, it weaknes the strength of the ecosystem. He’s not just the team’s best defender, but he’s an important cog in the wheel for several aspects of how the Pacers want to play. <\/p>\n With Haliburton back running the offense, Nembhard has to become a reliable catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. In his previous season next to Haliburton, he shot 29% from three and ranked dead-last in three-point percentage for starting shooting guards. <\/p>\n He took a step forward last year in three-point percentage, but on 2.5 more attempts per game. Proving to be a reliable off-ball shooter will make him even more difficult to guard, especially if opponents sell out to Haliburton and leave Nembhard with a weaker defender. <\/p>\n He is a three-level scorer and can make opponents pay in a variety of ways. He just has to be more consistent with his perimeter shooting, while staying out of foul trouble on the defensive side.<\/p>\n Ashley Mezewich May 24, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard on the red carpet prior to the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n The next step for Andrew Nembhard is to maintain his production from the 2025-26 regular season. <\/p>\n Without Tyrese Haliburton on the court, Nembhard averaged 16.9 points and 7.7 assists per game \u2014 both career highs. He also shot 36.1% from deep \u2014 another career high \u2014 and 44.2% from the field. <\/p>\n If he can keep this up with Haliburton back, it will make their guard rotation even stronger. He can hopefully draw some defensive attention away from Haliburton with this production. <\/p>\n Being more available will be big as well. Nembhard played in 57 games in the 2025-26 regular season.<\/p>\n Ethan Skolnick Mar 29, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) dribbles the ball while Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n The most impressive aspect of Nembhard’s 2025-26 season was that he improved his long-range efficiency even with more defensive attention, more attempts (twice as many per game) and less help from teammates. <\/p>\n The next step? Keeping that efficiency and volume as Tyrese Haliburton returns. In theory, it should be easier — but we’ve seen some players slip to the background when a star returns. Nembhard’s defense is already starter-quality. His offense is enough to make defenses pay when they’re not accounting for him. But can he do it night after night, and average somewhere in between where he did the past two seasons (10.0 upped to 16.9 last season)? That’s the challenge now. <\/p>\n You can follow me on\u00a0X\u00a0@AlexGoldenNBA\u00a0<\/a>and listen to my daily podcast,\u00a0Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss our next story. Make Pacers on SI a Preferred Source on Google to see more from us in your search results.Click Here.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Drew\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m4p3sb7fas6t22nqdg.jpg\" "\\"Drew\\"")
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