Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard has earned himself an invite to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week after some strong performances in front of pro scouts and personnel.
Nembhard has spent the past few days in the Windy City at the NBA G League Elite Camp, showcasing his high basketball acumen and physical abilities through strength and agility drills, as well as in five-on-five scrimmages.
After showing off his playmaking prowess in a pair of scrimmages, Nembhard will have an opportunity to do more of the same in a similar environment — albeit, alongside players who have a higher chance of being picked in next month’s draft.
Nembhard quickly showed why he was college basketball’s assists leader last season, recording 15 assists combined between two scrimmages at the G League Elite Camp. In his second scrimmage Sunday, he dropped 11 points and six assists.
Like the G League Elite Camp, the NBA Draft Combine allows draft-eligible prospects an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of pro scouts, coaches and front office executives; as well as improve their draft stock and receive valuable feedback ahead of the draft.
Nembhard is the only member of Gonzaga’s 2024-25 team that will participate in the NBA Draft Combine or G League Elite Camp. Fellow senior Nolan Hickman and sixth-year guard Khalif Battle competed in a pre-draft tournament held in Portsmouth, Virginia, last month. Gonzaga didn’t have any underclassmen declare as an early draft candidate.
Congrats to @ZagMBB prospect Ryan Nembhard, whose strong play at #GLeagueEliteCamp has earned them a spot in the #NBADraftCombine this week in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/cTsCj9WDir
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) May 12, 2025
Nembhard finished his four-year college career with 882 assists, the 22nd-most by a player in NCAA Division I history. His 344 assists in 2024-25 led the country and were the fifth-most in a single season in NCAA history, as well as the most in Gonzaga program history. In fact, it only took Nembhard two seasons (70 games) to finish with the fifth-most career assists in Gonzaga history (587, two shy of tying Jeremy Pargo for fourth).
Nembhard averaged 11.7 points and 3.5 rebounds for his career, shooting 43.2% from the field and 34.7% from 3-point range over the span of 134 games with Creighton (64 games) and Gonzaga (70). His 30-point outburst against Baylor in the 2023 NCAA Tournament marked a career-high. Nembhard had 28 career games with 10 or more assists as well.
Though his name isn’t a popular one on most big boards, Nembhard did make an appearance in a mock draft from The Athletic as the No. 57 overall pick to the Orlando Magic.
The NBA Draft Combine began Sunday and will end on May 18. The first 14 picks of the 2025 NBA Draft will be determined during the draft lottery on May 12. Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg is slated to be the No. 1 overall pick regardless of which team is on the board first.
