For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.
Ryan Nembhard, G, Gonzaga
Height: 6-0 • Weight: 180 • Class: Senior • Age: 22
Summary: Nembhard is an excellent floor general who excels in pick-and-roll situations and made great progress as a scorer during his senior year. But with his small stature, he has natural limitations that put a cap on his upside.
Comparisons: Tyus Jones
Strengths
Playmaking: Nembhard logged an incredible 9.8 assists per game to only 2.5 turnovers. It’s a throwback point general style stat line, so he plays as you’d expect as a smart decision-maker who manages the game at a high level. He dictates tempo, reads defenses quickly, and makes pinpoint passes.
Scoring versatility: He’s undersized, but he’s a crafty at-rim finisher and knows how to use the glass. He isn’t a knockdown shooter, but he showed great progress as a senior hitting a career-high percentage of shots off the dribble (41.8% from the field) and off the catch (44.4% on 3s). If this progress is for real, it’ll dramatically increase his chances of sticking in the NBA.
Energy: Players his size will get targeted on defense, but he is pesky and plays with active hands on defense.
Concerns
Size: He’s listed at only 6-feet. Not many players at this size make it, especially when they have a slight build like he does. Teams will pick on him when he’s on defense, and scoring at the rim will be a challenge for him on offense.
Shooting: As a senior, he made over 40% of his 3s, but he was a low-volume 3-point shooter throughout college and it was an outlier percentage. He made only 34.7% of his 3s on 3.4 attempts per game in his four years, plus he made only 78.4% of his free throws.
For a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports, check out my NBA Draft Guide.
