Analyzing Ryan Nembhard's 2023-24 season as Gonzaga's point guard

After a slow start, Nembhard put together a historic season as a playmaker

Expectations were high for Ryan Nembhard the moment he announced he was transferring to Gonzaga last spring.

The younger brother of former Bulldogs guard Andrew Nembhard was touted as one of the best transfers on the market after he guided Creighton to the Elite Eight in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The speedster with a high basketball IQ seemed like a match made in heaven for Mark Few, especially given the talent surrounding him in Graham Ike, Anton Watson and others. As such, Nembhard was an early contender for numerous national awards, including the Naismith Trophy and Bob Cousy Award.

But what people saw on paper didn’t translate to the court immediately. Shots from the outside weren’t falling consistently and the pace of play seemed out of control at times in the first few months of the season. As a playmaker, it took time to develop chemistry with Ike and his new teammates.

When things eventually came together in West Coast Conference play, Nembhard took the offense to another level. The Zags boasted one of the most efficient conference-only offenses in KenPom history (since 1999) behind the best passing season in the program’s history. Nembhard set the single-season assist record for Gonzaga with 243, the sixth-most nationally in 2023-24.

Overall, Nembhard put up 12.6 points, 6.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. He shot 44.5% from the field and 32.1% on 3.1 3-point attempts per game. That effort put him on the All-WCC first team.

Here’s an analysis of Nembhard's first season with Gonzaga.

WHAT WENT WELL

Gonzaga’s offense began to hum to its usual beat once Nembhard figured out how to balance being in attack mode with the understanding of when to pull back in transition and set his teammates up in the halfcourt. Early on he tended to favor the former, which resulted in spotty shot selection that wasn’t quite in the flow with the rest of the offense. Gonzaga has always liked to get out in transition, but not at the cost of playing out of control.

“I thought he did a tremendous job … of figuring out the pace that he wants to play at, what coach Few wants him to play at, and then the pace that others can play with him at,” said Dan Dickau on Talking Zags.

The more time Nembhard had to gel with his teammates and understand the flow of the offense, it became harder for opponents to slow down the Zags. In March alone (six games), Gonzaga had the second-best offensive efficiency in the country according to Bart Torvik. In that stretch, Nembhard averaged 10.2 assists and had three of his six double-doubles on the season.

Overall, Gonzaga had one of the best half-court offenses in the country. It posted a 55.1% non-transition effective field goal percentage, the 15th-best mark in the sport according to hoop-math.com. Much of that had to do with the Nembhard-Ike combo in pick-and-roll sets, which could be even more lethal next season with more outside shooting and chemistry on the roster.

“I thought [Nembhard] was the MVP of the latter half [of the season],” said Adam Morrison. “He really just slowed down his ability to make plays and it just really helped the whole club.”

WHAT HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE

His numbers improved over the back half of the season, but overall Nembhard had some consistency issues shooting the ball. 

After shooting 35.6% on 4.0 attempts from downtown in 2022-23, Nembhard shot 32.1% on 3.1 attempts this past season. Many of those misses came in nonconference play — he was shooting 15.0% on 3-point attempts heading into WCC play. He brought his averages up against WCC teams, but his shooting numbers dipped once again in the NCAA Tournament.

Generating clean looks inside the arc wasn’t easy either. Nembhard shot 55.0% at the rim according to hoop-math — the second-lowest percentage on the team (minimum 30 field goal attempts). Again, some of that has to do with early-season struggles, but it’s hard for 6-foot-tall guards to thrive in the paint when going up against giants in Zach Edey, Donovan Clingan and Mitchell Saxen. 

“He was getting to the teeth of the defense but looking to score too much, or take shots that weren’t good shots,” Morrison said. “Once he slowed down … the shot was starting to go in, he wouldn’t take as many difficult runners.”

OFFSEASON EMPHASIS

Don’t get it twisted, Nembhard has all the tools to knock down more shots consistently next season. If he can bring his 3-point percentage up to 40%, watch out.

“His form, mechanics show you that he can be a good shooter,” Dickau said. “I don’t think he’s ever going to be an elite shooter … but I think his numbers across the board can be better in regards to scoring and shooting percentages.”

With a full offseason to continue to learn the nuances of Few's offense - and the tendencies of his teammates - Nembhard is poised for a big senior year.

Watch the full season recap episode of Talking Zags on Gonzaga Nation's YouTube channel.