Ryan Nembhard Scouting Report
He's different than his brother but there's an NBA player here none the less
School: Gonzaga
Mold: Traditional Point Guard
NBA Play Style/statistical comp: Travis Best
Thoughts – G – True point guard with a quick first step who’s one of the most effective passers in the class. Nembhard isn’t just finding open teammates, he’s putting them in position to score. He manipulates defenses with his eyes, uses pace well, and has fantastic vision and patience. He’s not a flashy passer for the sake of it, but he knows how to control the game and get guys easy looks. His handle is tight, and he uses it to slice into the lane and get to the rim. That said, he shot 55% at the rim, and a lot of that came in transition. Most of the time, he’s trying to get downhill and put pressure on the rim, does it off back cuts, off-ball movement, and is constantly pushing in transition. For a guard his size, you'd like to see more effectiveness in general offensively. He’s not very efficient in percentages or the types of shots he takes. He’s a high-IQ player, but the shot he wants won’t be as valuable when he’s even less effective at the NBA level.
He’s comfortable operating out of ball screens, usually hunting mid-range jumpers or floaters. The midrange game is a real weapon for him, but he needs to be lights out there to make it valuable. There’s a slight dip in his shot off the dribble from deep, as compared to his catch-and-shoot mechanics are much quicker and smoother. But since he plays on-ball so much, those catch-and-shoot chances don’t happen often. Here’s the thing: when he does shoot catch-and-shoot threes, he’s incredibly effective. So he’s got to take more threes overall, especially in catch-and-shoot situations. He’s not a deadeye shooter yet, but at his size, he needs that to become a big part of his game if he’s going to stick long term. The midrange won’t be as available at the NBA level. Defensively, he competes. He’s small and will get targeted, but he plays with enough tenacity and anticipation to survive, especially if you can pair him with a bigger guard and let him play off the ball more on that end.