Indiana Pacers GM Chad Buchanan had high praise for a young star who elevates Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of the team with his performances.
The Indiana Pacers have been under the radar this season. With a 31-23 record, the Pacers have quietly shored up the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Fans are sleeping on the Pacers, who made it to the Western Conference Finals last year. A lot of the plaudits should go to Tyrese Haliburton, who has created a reputation for the Pacers.
However, some are critical of Haliburton, like Shaquille O’Neal. Even Kendrick Perkins believes Haliburton fails to do an important thing on the court.
That’s where one young player for the Pacers comes in, who in the words of their GM, has made Haliburton a better player.
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In an interview with Setting The Pace, Indiana Pacers GM Chad Buchanan had high praise for Andrew Nembhard. He noted that the young forward makes the whole team, especially Tyrese Haliburton better.
He added that Nembhard shoulders a lot of the responsibility for the team. As a result, his teammates are able to play with some comfort.
“Andrew I think is a big piece that helps everybody else play well. Specifically, Tyrese. Having another guy out there to take some of the play-making responsibilities and just bring the ball up the floor sometimes at the pace we play. It’s nice to have another guy that can do that and can do it well.
“Obviously, he puts everybody into a comfort level, I think on the offensive end, because he’s, he’s kind of one of those guys.”
“He can make plays if you need him to, but he’s very good at knowing how to play off of really good players.”
Nembhard does a lot of important work for the Pacers. And it looks like it doesn’t go unappreciated, as the GM had kind words for him.
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Buchanan didn’t stop there when it came to his praise for Nembhard. He added that Nembhard’s versatility has made the team much stronger.
Buchanan praised his intelligence, commitment, and hard work as key factors that have contributed to the Pacers’ success.
“He’s not chasing the ball, he’s not getting in the way of other guys, he’s capable of making a play. You can see him drive to the rim and create a shot in the paint, or occasionally catch and shoot, but he knows exactly how he fits with everybody on this team, which I think is his most valuable trait.”
“You can put him out there with any combination of four players, and he figures out how he needs to play with those four guys.”
“And sometimes it’s different with different combinations. It’s a tribute to how intelligent he is as a player. And I think when he’s out there like I said, it really stabilizes our group.
“His ability to defend, he’s done a great job against some really hard matchups this year, he thrives on those challenges. He wants to guard the other team’s best player.”
“And he’s got a quiet toughness about him, a quiet edge to him that you know makes him a very, very good defender and such a value, valuable component to our team and our success.”
The Pacers clearly know the kind of player they have in Nembhard. And it is good to see them recognize his value as one of the best young players they have.
