Tyrese Haliburton has won over many fans during the playoffs with his dazzling, fun style of play that gets his teammates involved. NBA veteran Chris Paul is also quite enamored by the Indiana Pacers guard.
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Paul loves to watch the way Haliburton plays and can tell that his teammates have a ton of fun playing with him. CP3, of course, would understand it at a personal level. He, after all, made a career out of being a fast-paced point guard with exceptional passing prowess. And Haliburton is emulating his style of play.
Despite this, when it came to naming his favorite player on the Pacers roster right now, Paul didn’t go with Haliburton. Nor did he go with the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Pascal Siakam.
Paul’s pick was Indiana’s playoff demon. “Actually, probably my favorite player on that team to watch is [Andrew] Nembhard,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show, before listing his reasons.
McAfee quickly pointed out how Nembhard was head-butted by New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson in their series. The instance provides an excellent example of competitiveness and fearlessness displayed by the third-year guard out of Gonzaga.
Paul then highlighted Nembhard’s outstanding two-way ability. “He plays defense, takes that assignment night in and night out. But also, he’ll go get a bucket if you need him to,” said the Point God.
It was high praise coming from the nine-time All-NBA defender. And it’s what Nembhard has been known to do throughout the playoffs. In fact, a statistic posted on social media by Bleacher Report shows just how successful Nembhard has been in stifling some of the league’s superstars in the playoffs.
Nembhard locked up Brunson so much that his field goal percentage dipped by almost 8 percent during their series — from 38.2 to 30.03. But now, he has a different animal to match up with defensively: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP of the league, who averaged just over 32 points per game this season.
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If the Pacers are going to have a chance in this series, they’re going to need Nembhard to come through with a defensive performance of a lifetime. Haliburton and Siakam are obviously going to be crucial pieces if the Pacers want a chance to win it all.
Another stat that’s been boggling the minds of fans is the Pacers’ record when Hali scores more or less than 20 points. When the guard scores more than 20, Indiana is 25-3. When he scores less, they’re 21-24. So, he’s going to need to get going against this tough OKC defense if they want a shot.
But Siakam will be key as well. He needs to be able to handle the ball in the paint against these pesky Thunder guards who swipe at the ball every opportunity they get. If they can force Pascal into some easy turnovers, it could be a tough series for Indiana.
Even Paul himself went on to commend OKC for its defense later on in the podcast. He pointed out how the Thunder don’t just defend well, but they have fun doing it. In Indiana, it’s quite the opposite. Other than Nembhard, defense is not something the Pacers are exactly known for.
So, strap in, NBA fans. This could either be a super fun series with twists and turns if Paul’s favorite Pacer can hold SGA down. Or it could end up being a quick one if the Thunder show up and be themselves.
Either way, it’s a refreshing final with two fan bases that haven’t seen their teams win in quite some time.
