Senior Gonzaga Andrew Nimbard He will announce the 2022 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Friday.
“This is my time,” said Nimbard. “It’s time to let the youth take over the program. In this draft I feel like I’m among the top. There aren’t a lot of point guards in this class that can impact the game in the sense of winning the way I can. I’ve had feedback and done the things the NBA told me I needed to be carried out to take the next step. I am ready.”
Nembhard, the 50th potential player in the ESPN 100, was named to the All-WCC First Team after averaging 11.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 assists for Team Zags, who was the top seed in the NCAA Championship. Nembhard has recorded career highs in every class this year, including 38% shooting for 3 seconds and 87% from the free throw streak.
“Going into my final year, I did a lot of off-season work, my body got fit, I improved my pace and pace. This season, I showed myself that I can play and carry my team in an attacking way, including as a top scorer. I am very excited to showcase the teams. More. How lethal I can be in capture situations. Also in isolated situations, I am evolving. My game has become a lot better.”
Nembhard was the driver behind one of the fastest and most effective fouls in college basketball, tasked with providing a steady hand alongside the All-American Frontcourt players Drew Tim And Chet Holmgren. When needed, he also showed he could be a top scorer, scoring 24 points in a no-conference win over UCLA and leading an NCAA League victory over Memphis in Round 32, scoring 23 points and making several clutch baskets. stretching.
“I’m a winning guy, a real goalkeeper so my natural hope is to get everyone involved. I’ve always been looking at matches, Drew usually had mismatches and we needed to get the ball shit so he was good and he stepped up when we needed him. She’s made it clear over the season ‘When the guys falter, I can be more assertive in attack, shoot from deep, get into the lane and score goals, and do the order.’ Between passing and scoring was really good.
At 6-foot-5, 193 pounds, Nembhard has an excellent size as a point guard and has become an increasingly prolific and consistent shooter as his career progresses, coming close to what many NBA teams look for in backup when paired with the instincts and intelligence he brings defensively. In Gonzaga’s last six games this season, he’s played 237 out of a potential 240 minutes, almost indispensable to what many consider to be the best team in college basketball.
“I needed to do a lot of maneuvering for our team and take a lot of pressure on attack, which is why you sometimes only see me guard the third best player on the other team. I have always been a good defender, something I have always been proud of. I protected the attackers in Florida, So are the steering guards. That’s what will get me on the ground early. I’m stronger offside than a lot of people think. I’m 195lbs now, almost 200. Where I’d be most useful is the 1-3 guards and even some small 4s.”
A five-star recruit in high school, Nimbard started his career in Florida but chose to relocate after his sophomore year. He played an important role in the team that lost in the National Championship to Baylor in 2021, and he rarely gets off the ground in Gonzaga’s big games again.
“When I spent that year converting, the most important thing for me was that I wanted to win games. I did that in high school and at the FIBA level. I wanted to be in that culture of winning, where I excel.”
Born in Toronto, Nymbard has represented Canada on the national team level in every age group, starting with the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship, continuing at the U-17 Basketball World Cup and FIBA Americas U-18 Championship, and even watching rotation minutes At the top level at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, the team coached by Nick Norse of the Toronto Raptors.
After entering the NBA draft in 2019 and 2020, he cannot withdraw his name from consideration after being announced for the third time, according to the league’s rules, making him ineligible to return to college basketball despite the additional year of eligibility that the NCAA gave all players in October. 2020.
“First I can bring the spare point guard minutes to the team. The player loves Teos Jones – I can simulate his turn, give a high turn assist, get open men shots, hit open 3s, and understand the game. I can see myself in a similar role. I can give a team a different look off the bench, push the pace of the transition, get the guys open shots. With the NBA spacing method, this will only help me. Every kid wants to go into the first round – that would be a blessing – but winning for me on recruit night would be like going to a team that I can influence. A team I can adapt to and win matches.”
The NBA draft will be May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 at the Barclays Center in New York City.
Jonathan Jevoni is an NBA draft expert and founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a proprietary exploratory and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA, and international teams.
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