Nembhard Times: Indiana Pacers Season Preview

 

Photo Credit: givemesport.com.

I'll consider this Part Two of my Indiana Pacers 2025-26 season preview. Part One can be seen here. Now, my take on how will Andrew Nemhard fare in the place of Tyrese Haliburton this season, which I briefly talked about in Part One.

The moment Tyrese Haliburton went down in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and it was reported he wouldn't return because of a torn ACL, I knew it was Andrew Nemhard's time to step up--well, the entire team, but I'm referring to Nemhard specifically. To me, he continued to defer, and I'm not saying that caused them the game, but I would've liked to see him step up and be more aggressive offensively, knowing that he's capable of doing so.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, Nemhard, who can play both guard positions, will be asked to take Tyrese Haliburton's place due to his season-ending injury. One of the questions headed into the season is whether he will be able to do it. Personally, I think he's capable.

Obviously, it would be better if Haliburton were there, but I think they will be fine with Andrew Nemhard. This is an opportunity for him to fully showcase what he can do. He’s a very good defender, and he’s better offensively than people think, but as I alluded to in the beginning, he tends to defer his offense.

I understand it's for the sake of the team, and I respect that, but I think he has to step up and become more aggressive offensively with the absence of Haliburton, without deviating from the team concept. In other words, be aggressive, but smart in his decision making.

Although this won't be the first time he has had to take Haliburton's place in the lineup, this time it's more long-term--hopefully, just for this season. Overall, I think the Pacers are in good hands.