Andrew Nembhard leaves 2024 Olympics ready to take off with Indiana Pacers

Playing basketball for your country in the Olympics can lead to growth in the NBA, and the Indiana Pacers have every reason to believe that will happen with Andrew Nembhard next season.

Prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the last Pacers player to play in the Olympics was Paul George in 2016. He was part of Team USA and won a gold medal in Rio. George returned to the NBA and set new career highs in points per game and field goal percentage on his way to his fourth All-Star appearance. Leandro Barbosa spent 2012 with the Pacers before playing for Brazil in the London games that year and returned to the NBA as a more polished passer, though not with Indiana.

Nembhard (and Tyrese Haliburton) can replicate that pattern. The 24-year-old and the rest of Team Canada won’t be happy with a 5-8 finish after falling to France on Tuesday, but it may lead to more long-term success for the Pacers’ young guard.

“The point guard position is vital in FIBA, games are short, every possession matters and that’s one of his great strengths,” said Rowan Barrett, general manager of the Canadian men’s national team, about Nembhard. “He’s a very, very good decision-maker, very calm.”

At his best, Nembhard showed why he earned praise from teammates Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the Olympics. His scoring, both within the rhythm of the offense and at his own pace, was valuable to the Canadian bench. Murray struggled from the field, but the second unit of him and Nembhard remained effective in large part because of the power of that duo playing on and off the ball.

When Canada needed Nembhard to score, he did. For example, he scored 18 points against Spain to secure Canada’s top spot in Group A. When passing mattered most, he found his teammates: The young ball-carrying player had five assists in a win over France during a pre-Olympic exhibition.

That balance is exactly what Nembhard tries to achieve every night with the Pacers. Some nights, playing next to Haliburton means Nembhard needs to cut and shoot when he’s open. On other outings, he’ll have to create his own shot. In the meantime, he’s a great connector. Playing alongside different talented guards with Canada showed Nembhard’s improvements in those areas.

“He plays with the highest IQ, he’s probably one of my favorite players in the NBA right now, he’s just so underrated,” Murray said of Nembhard.

In his four Olympic appearances, Nembhard averaged 6.3 points and 1.3 assists per game. He shot 63.6 percent on two-pointers and 50 percent from long range without missing a free throw. Turnovers were his only statistical blemish, but he more than made up for it with great defense, efficient scoring and useful passing.

For Nembhard, improvement next season could mean several things: better long-range shooting or refined attacking skills. Maybe he becomes a better passer or cutter. Maybe his scoring will increase as his one-timer from midrange becomes more common. The most boring path, but the most likely, is that he gradually improves in many skills.

Regardless of what Nembhard’s improvement looks like this upcoming season, he proved his game fits next to anyone in the Olympics. He played and defended every position from first to third. He did so in several lineups that took different shapes. Indiana has a deep team that will have a similar number of options in the lineup this season. The more Nembhard can fit in, the better — players like him who have the ability to play both sides are getting on the court for a lot of minutes.

The Canadian guard finished last season incredibly strong, with two dominant performances in the Eastern Conference finals. He showed his great potential in those games and was named to Team Canada about a month later. It was an incredible summer for Nembhard.

This upcoming season will see him get closer to his full potential, and that’s partly why the Pacers gave him a three-year contract extension in late July. They believe in his future and want him on the team for a long time.

Now, they will, and he’s coming off a pivotal moment in basketball: He just played in his first Olympics. The crowds are bigger and the stakes are higher. Nembhard handled it well and now begins a third season with the Pacers that should be his best yet.