Pacers' Andrew Nembhard Left Off HoopsHype’s Top 27 Point Guards

HoopsHype left Andrew Nembhard off its ranking of the 27 best point guards in the NBA for 2026-27. He was one of four players listed as just missing the cut, along with Fred VanVleet, Kingston Flemings, and Davion Mitchell.

Nembhard is coming off career highs in points, assists, and minutes.

Last season, he averaged 16.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in 31.3 minutes. He had a field goal percentage of 44.2%, a three-point percentage of 36.1%, and an 82.5% free-throw accuracy, with a true shooting percentage of 56.4%.

Before last season, he averaged 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.

Nembhard recorded 11 double-doubles. Against the Los Angeles Lakers, he had 14 points and 19 assists in a 137-130 loss, a career high in assists. Only Tyrese Haliburton, Jamaal Tinsley, Mark Jackson, and Jalen Rose have reached 19 in a game for Indiana.

The move was driven by necessity as Haliburton missed the entire season after tearing his right Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The situation shifted offensive responsibilities to Nembhard and placed him in the backcourt with Bennedict Mathurin.

Bringing the ball up full time was new to a guard who had spent most of four seasons playing off it, he told Joshua Heron of The Indianapolis Star before the season.

"It changes my whole perception of the game," Nembhard said.

Availability was the issue as he missed 25 games last season. A back issue then kept him out of the final seven games of the regular season.

He was healthy enough for Canada in July, scoring 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 5-of-7 from three in a 110-84 World Cup qualifying win over Puerto Rico.

Indiana drafted Nembhard 31st overall in 2022 out of Gonzaga. He was the West Coast Conference's first Sixth Man of the Year as a junior and made the All-WCC First Team as a senior. He turned 26 in January.

Haliburton ranked seventh on the point guard list, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, and Stephen Curry. Ivica Zubac ranked 46th on the HoopsHype list of the 50 greatest European players.

With Haliburton back, Nembhard projects to spend more time off the ball again.

The Indiana Pacers went 19-63 last season, second-worst in the league behind Washington. Myles Turner left for Milwaukee in free agency. Indiana sent two first-round picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for Zubac at the deadline, and the Pacers' own pick landed fifth in the lottery and conveyed to Los Angeles.

The Pacers signed Kelly Oubre Jr. this offseason.

Training camp opens Sept. 29. Indiana starts the regular season Oct. 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the home opener Oct. 23 against Dallas.