Nembhard provides backcourt depth

Canadian guard will help keep Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray fresh in Paris

- DOUG SMITH

Andrew Nembhard’s game evolved into something his team and country need during a season that ended with the Indiana Pacers losing the Eastern Conference final.

Jordi Fernandez barely took a beat before he explained what Andrew Nembhard has been at the Canadian men’s Olympic basketball camp.

“Rock star,” the coach said. That’s a unique description of a

24-year-old who is about to assume his most significant role with a Canadian senior team at the coming Paris Olympics, but it’s not far off the mark.

The six-foot-five guard from Thornhill possesses the skills Canada needs on its versatile roster headed to the Games.

He’s multi-faceted, he plays at a pace the Canadian team wants and needs, and he looks like a perfect complement to the classy duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.

When Canadian officials and coaches deconstructed the FIBA World Cup experience last fall, they identified size and versatility in the backcourt as a need. They immediately thought of Nembhard.