Andrew Nembhard declares for the 2022 NBA Draft

Gonzaga Bulldogs senior point guard Andrew Nembhard has declared for the NBA Draft.

Although his statement does not specify whether or not he has hired a NCAA-approved agent to maintain his collegiate eligibility, the assumption is that Nembhard is probably moving on to the next level, as he normally would be at this point in his career if not for the bonus COVID year granted by the NCAA.

As Jonathan Givony at ESPN writes: Having entered the NBA draft in 2019 and 2020, he cannot withdraw his name from consideration after declaring for a third time, according to league rules, making him ineligible to return to college basketball despite the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted all players in October 2020.

Nembhard helped steady the point guard position his junior year alongside Jalen Suggs and owned the rock in his senior season. He averaged 11.8 points, shot 38 percent from long range, and doled out 5.8 assists per game.

His struggles, alongside everyone else’s, in the Sweet 16 loss to Arkansas were rather evident, but this year’s draft class is surprisingly weak in the point guard realm. Overall, in college basketball, it was a somewhat down year in the position, and Nembhard might be able to find a way into the league via that route.

Nembhard has the size to work as a modern day point guard in the NBA as well as the court vision, which he constantly displayed throughout his time at Gonzaga. Some mock draft boards have pegged him as a second-round pick, so there will be work to be done on his end to make sure everyone notices.

Nembhard was the 2021 WCC Sixth Man of the Year, Second-Team All-WCC (2021), and First-Team All-WCC (2022).