At the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Ryan Nembhard continues to find others first and put his teammates in the best possible position to score. The keen vision and overall feel for the game to go along with his ability to open up the floor is unreal.
The Gonzaga lead guard finished with 13 points on 5-for-9 field goals/0-for-1 three-pointers/3-for-6 free throws. He also put together a game-high eight assists to just one turnover and a game-high three steals in 25 minutes of play. Nembhard looked particularly well-connected with Stanford forward/center Maxime Raynaud in the 83-80 loss for Team Williams.
On the ESPN broadcast, analysts Sean Farnham and Seth Greenburg were praising Nembhard early on over and over again. More like the entire Gonzaga program as a whole.
“This looks like a Gonzaga basketball game right now, Ryan Nembhard has got five assists already here in the first half.” – ESPN’s Sean Farnham
“The size obviously is going to be impactful as far as where he goes, but I think his vision and his ability to open up the game for others is going to be appealing.” – ESPN’s Sean Farnham
Ryan Nembhard finishes with 13 points, 8 assists, 3 steals and just 1 turnover to wrap up Day 1 of scrimmages at the NBA Draft Combine. pic.twitter.com/7nVn92u3iG
— Libaan Osman (@libaanstar1) May 14, 2025
“Nembhard is being Nembhard. He’s a maestro when it comes to getting downhill, getting in the lane, and making the right play.” – ESPN’s Seth Greenberg
It also helps his overall stock when scouts, general managers, and other front office executives are watching what his big brother is doing in the NBA Playoffs with the Indiana Pacers. Andrew Nembhard is preparing for his second straight Eastern Conference Playoffs appearance.
Expectations for his younger brother is to be either a late second round pick or go undrafted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday, June 25th (first round) through Thursday, 26th (second round). Regardless of the outcome, Nembhard should be on a two-way contract with one of the 30 franchises due to his unselfishness with the ball and communication skills when directing the offense. Any team wants a developmental point guard with that attribute.
The second day of scrimmages in Chicago will start at 11 a.m. PT on ESPN2 tomorrow, May 15th. The way to impress the decision makers even further is for Nembhard to not digress but play just as well, if not better than, he did in the first scrimmage.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho
