Gonzaga Basketball: 3 takeaways from Zags impressive victory over No. 5 Texas

2. The Zags have already found their safe replacement for Jalen Suggs

With Jalen Suggs off to the NBA, it was imperative for Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard – who quickly made an impact as a sixth man and found himself in the starting lineup through several stretches last year for the Zags – to step up and assume the role as facilitator and floor general, and his first two performances in 2021-22 indicate that he is fit for the role.

Nembhard’s offensive numbers fluctuated between single- and double-digits last year, but the senior has yet to crack double-digits in either tilt yet this season.  Despite a five-point showing against Dixie State and logging nine points versus the Longhorns, the need for Nembhard to provide double-digit efforts may not be as necessary anymore.

With a heap of offensive weapons available last year, it may have also not have been necessary for Nembhard to fit that role – but with Suggs, Corey Kispert, and Joel Ayayi all gone, the Zags would decidedly need to find replacements to fill those gaps.  With two games under their belt, however, it appears as if the Bulldogs may not need to rely on as many providers – especially after how offensively dominant they were against Texas.

In that same vein, Nembhard – despite only scoring nine on Saturday – was extremely effective in other manners, dishing out a game-high eight assists – double Texas’ team-high four assists set by Timmy Allen – in addition to a pair of steals and rebounds.  His scoring output still ranked fourth on the team, behind Drew Timme, Rasir Bolton, and Anton Watson.

None of this is to say that Timme will always pour in 37 points – but this is now the second-straight game where Nembhard has not surpassed the 10-point threshold, and the Zags won both games.  That other game – Gonzaga’s 97-63 win over Dixie State – saw five other Bulldogs log double-figures, and at least one other Zag in Hunter Sallis score single-digits but still tally more than Nembhard.

Much of Nembhard’s effectiveness leads into the biggest takeaway – on the next slide – from Gonzaga’s win over Texas, and, above all, he may be the catalyst of the Zags’ success.  With the Bulldogs maintaining a slew of brand new talent that are receiving heaps of playing time, a reliable, steady floor general is necessary for success – and thus far, Nembhard is fulfilling the job.