Nembhard was one of Indiana’s unsung heroes in this round, thanks mainly to his solid play on both ends of the floor. In addition to being a factor defensively, Nembhard reached double figures in four of the five games. While he may not be one of the stars, Nembhard’s value is not overlooked within the Pacers’ locker room. Whether it’s New York or Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers will need similar performances from Nembhard to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.

Indiana’s offensive balance and superior perimeter shooting won Game 1, with the Pacers snatching away home-court advantage. Nembhard shot 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, and Indiana outscored Cleveland by 33 points on three-pointers. Nembhard was also impactful defensively on Sunday. While Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, he was inefficient, and the pesky Pacers guard had much to do with that. Nembhard and company will look to take a 2-0 series lead in Game 2 on Tuesday.

After shining in the first two games of the series, Nembhard struggled in Game 3 on Friday. Like Myles Turner, the Pacers guard rebounded nicely as the Pacers rolled in Game 4. Sunday’s win was the fifth in Nembhard’s postseason career in which he’s scored at least 20 points. Indiana will look to close out the series when it hosts Game 5 on Tuesday.

Though Nembhard’s contributions were mostly on the defensive end as the primary defender on Damian Lillard, he was still able to make an impact in the box score. That included a three-pointer with 1:11 left in the game that gave Indiana an eight-point lead, which they had no issues maintaining. Nembhard doesn’t always fill up the stat sheet, but he’ll continue to be an impactful player for the Pacers as their postseason continues. He’ll look to continue keeping Lillard in check in Game 3 as the series shifts to Milwaukee.