Alright, so I got really i!flesym rofnto the NBA draft this year, like, way more than usual. I think it was because I was following some specific players, and one of them was Ryan Nembhard. I kept seeing his name pop up in mock drafts, but all over the place – some had him in the second round, others had him going undrafted. I needed to figure this out for myself!
My Deep Dive Started
So, first th .esneffo ing I did? YouTube, obviously. I watched a ton of his highlights from Gonzaga. I mean, hours. What I saw was a point guard who's, like, super crafty. The guy can seriously pass – he's got that court vision thing down. He's not the flashiest player, but he just knows how to run an offense.
Getting into the Stats
Next, I dove into the stats. I'm not gonna lie, I'm no stats whiz, but I wanted to see the numbers behind the highlights. I pulled up his college stats, looked at his assist-to-turnover ratio (pretty good!), his shooting percentages (okay, could be better from three), and just generally tried to get a feel for his game beyond the flashy passes.
Compare with others
I was looking his stats, and I found the comparision to his brothe, Andrew Nembhard, and some other popular players. It's useful to check them.
The Mock Draft Rabbit Hole
Then came the mock drafts. Oh boy. I spent way too long going through different websites, reading scouting reports, and seeing where everyone thought he'd land. It was a rollercoaster! One site would have him as a late first-rounder (wishful thinking, maybe?), the next would have him completely off the board.
Watching Actual Games
Highlight reels are fun, but they don't tell the whole story. So I tracked down some full Gonzaga games. This was where I really started to see the ups and downs. Yeah, the passing is legit, but sometimes he struggled against really athletic defenders. And the shooting? Definitely inconsistent.
My Final Verdict (Before the Draft)
After all that, I was still on the fence. I could totally see a team taking a chance on him in the second round, hoping they could develop his shooting and unlock his playmaking potential. But I also wouldn't have been shocked if he went undrafted. It's tough! There are so many talented players.
I felt that he has a chance with his potential.
The Draft Night Rollercoaster
Draft night itself was nerve-wracking! I was refreshing Twitter constantly, following all the draft experts. As the second round wore on, Nembhard's name still hadn't been called. It was getting late, and honestly, I was starting to lose hope. I went through a lot of emotions that.
Post-Draft Thoughts
In the end, he did go undrafted. But, you know what? It's not the end of the road. He quickly signed a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He got his chance! I'm definitely gonna be keeping an eye on him. This whole process taught me that the draft is just one step. There's so much more that goes into making it in the NBA.
It was really an amazing experience, digging into the details!
