For the second consecutive year, the Indiana Pacers are into the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers made light work of the Milwaukee Bucks, emerging dominantly with a 4-1 triumph in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.
Although they relatively enjoyed a big advantage due to Damian Lillard’s injury, the Pacers also demonstrated they were a much better and deserving team to advance.
And with how they ended Game 5 in a thrilling fashion, it was a reminder that they are in the mix amongst the title contenders aiming to win it all.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesDwyane Wade credits Pacers for helping Andrew Nembhard’s growth
With Giannis Antetokounmpo single-handedly carrying the Bucks, the Pacers are set up totally differently.
It was Pascal Siakam who has been Indiana’s best player for the entire five-game set, earning the praise from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Although he had a slow series start, Tyrese Haliburton silenced those who tagged him as the most overrated player in the NBA by sending the Pacers to the East Semifinals.
Further elevating his value for the big-time free agency ahead, Myles Turner was also huge for the Pacers with his interior defensive presence and scoring.
Another key Indiana player that deserves plenty of credit is Andrew Nembhard.
And what he simply demonstrated throughout the first round is a clear testament of the Pacers’ commitment to him since past summer according to Dwyane Wade.
“I got an opportunity to work the Olympics this summer and I got a chance to see Team Canada, and Nembhard was on Team Canada. What I saw was the coaching staff of Indiana out there.
“I could see them at all the games,” the Hall of Famer recounted in the latest episode of his The Timeout podcast.
“You could tell that the push for him to take the next step was something that was important for them as they watched him compete at that level at the Olympics to be on that stage next to Shai.
“To watch them there watching him, you could tell they want this kid to have a really big year for us, because if he goes to another level, now it opens up everything they are trying to do.”
Nembhard served as the key X-factor for Indiana vs. Milwaukee
Nembhard has just put together a very solid series of his own. Without his averages of 15.0 points, 4.8 assists, 3.4 boards, and 1.4 steals, Indiana would have been in a much tougher position against Milwaukee.
His reliable consistency, shooting 49.2 percent from the field (50 percent from three), is a major element of the Pacers’ entry to the next round.
Although he and Canada came up short in their goal of a podium finish in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, it offered Nembhard a fruitful development experience that the Pacers are benefitting from
“To now see it at fruition, now see him at the next level, that was a focal point not only for him and for the organization to follow and make sure he’s making his progressions,” Wade added.
The Pacers are now set to face a daunting challenge against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, and they will continue to lean on Nembhard’s production as their pursuit of the title continues.