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    • Why Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard isn’t playing against the Celtics
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    Why Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard isn’t playing against the Celtics

    Umito Posted on

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    This story has been updated to include more information.

    INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was limited to just five minutes in the Pacers’ 135-132 overtime win over the Celtics on Wednesday night because of tendinitis in one of his knees, the coach said of the Pacers, Rick Carlisle, during his post-game press conference.

    There was a misunderstanding about the injury during the match, as it was not reported in either the pre-match injury report or any injury reports during the match. The FanDuel Sports Network broadcast said Nembhard did not play during the second half due to a coach’s decision. Carlisle clarified the situation at the start of the press conference, saying the public relations staff was unaware of the injury. He said a member of the Pacers’ athletic training staff told him, about 40 seconds before the national anthem, that Nembhard’s knee was “going wild.”

    “He has tendinitis,” Carlisle said. “We went back and forth for a little bit and then the anthem started and I asked him again after the anthem. He said he was feeling a little better and he wanted to try and he was fine until just before the match.”

    Nembhard’s only field goal attempt was a made layup and he had an assist and a steal in 5 minutes, 3 seconds of action. However, Carlisle could then feel that he would not be able to continue playing.

    “It was clear to me that he wasn’t moving well enough, so we got him out of there,” Carlisle said. “He received treatment and he was kicked out.”

    Nembhard remained in the locker room for the entire half and only came out to the sidelines at the start of the third quarter. Third-year guard Bennedict Mathurin started the second half in his place and played 42 minutes and 38 seconds, scoring 30 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out four assists. The Pacers could have used Nembhard’s ball-handling late in the game, as turnovers caused them to squander a 24-point lead in the third quarter and they were severely shorthanded with center Myles Turner already out with a sprained knee. ankle and forward Aaron Nesmith and center Isaiah Jackson. both clogged by the extension. However, a 3-pointer from Pascal Siakam with 6.1 seconds remaining helped the Pacers survive.

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    Andrew Nembhard statistics

    Nembhard entered Wednesday’s game averaging 8.3 points on 38.2 percent shooting, with 2.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.

    Andrew Nembhard contract

    As a second round pick, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was eligible for an extension on his rookie contract this summer, a year before the opening rounds. However, the maximum amount of money teams can offer for second-round extensions is significantly less than the maximum amount of contracts they can give to first-rounders. After averaging 14.9 points per game in the playoffs and exploding as a scorer while All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton sat out the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston, Nembhard’s stock was high and he had legitimate reasons to hold out for two years. free agency to see if another team would be willing to pay him big money to be a starting point guard.

    Instead, Nembhard wasted no time signing a three-year contract worth $58.7 million – the maximum authorized contract – which will come into effect for the 2025-26 season. Haliburton signed a five-year contract starting this year worth approximately $245 million, meaning he will earn more than double Nembhard’s salary per year. But Nembhard never seriously considered waiting to see what he could get on the open market.

    “I’ve never had this much money in my life and I’ve never played this game for money,” said Nembhard, whose rookie contract pays him just over $2 million per year. “It wasn’t like I was trying to bet on myself to make more money. I really love being here. The team we have, the coaching staff, the whole organization. We we’re about the good stuff. I love coming to I work every day and I think that’s an underrated aspect of playing in the NBA. If you truly value your team and the process that you go through to win games,. I think it’s more valuable than the financial aspect, it’s more than enough with what they gave me.”

    Umito
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