The last time Ryan Nembhard was at Chase Center, the Gonzaga point guard dished 16 assists in the final regular-season game of his college career, beating the University of San Francisco by 20 points.

Nembhard was back in the building Tuesday, this time trying to prove to Warriors coaches and personnel why his pedigree will translate to production at the pro level during a pre-2025 NBA Draft workout.

“Good to be back in San Fran,” Nembhard said. “Always good to be in San Fran. I don’t think I’ve ever lost out here, so it’s been fun.”

The draft process always is a hectic experience for any prospect. It has been a special kind of whirlwind for Nembhard, paving his own path while cheering on his older brother from afar.

Andrew Nembhard isn’t a star name like Tyrese Haliburton or Pascal Siakam. But the third-year pro has been a major reason why the Indiana Pacers have enjoyed such a historic season ahead of their NBA Finals matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nembhard averaged a career-high 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the regular season, and has been even better in the NBA playoffs.

Through the first three rounds, Nembhard is averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and a whopping 48.3 percent on threes. He dropped 20 points on the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of the first round to grab a three-games-to-one series lead, and then opened the second round by scoring 23 points in an upset win over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Super proud,” the younger Nembhard brother said. “Things like this don’t happen often. Some people may never reach the Finals in their whole career, so it’s special for him to do it in Year 3. I’ve always had belief in him and his ability to do big things in this league. I’m super happy for him, and super happy to keep watching.”

But as Ryan always has known, he can’t get by on what his older brother does. This is about his own story, and what he has shown along the way. Mainly, that’s winning.

And at every level.

He was high school teammates with stars like Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes at basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy, as well as Warriors wing Moses Moody. Nembhard after his freshman year reclassified from the Class of 2022 to the Class of 2021, winning the high school national championship as a senior and winning game MVP honors.

As a freshman at Creighton he won 23 games, reached the second round of the NCAA tournament and was named Big East Freshman of the Year. Nembhard then led Creighton to the Elite Eight as a sophomore, but transferred to Gonzaga, where his older brother excelled, to play the last two seasons of college basketball.

Gonzaga might not be seen as one of the blue bloods of college basketball, however, they’re easily one of the top programs in the country. When Nembhard walks into an arena like Chase Center, those are the experiences he can lean on.

“I played at a college that has a lot of lineage and a lot of legacy,” Nembhard said. “It would be special to come here. I know what they’ve done. I watched my whole life growing up as a kid. They still got Steph [Curry] and all those great guys here, so it’d be great to come in and provide any impact I could, whatever way they need me. Play hard, play the defensive side of the ball.

“It would be special to be in this type of organization.”

Experience is on Nembhard’s side. Coach Steve Kerr would love to add someone who played 134 college games, and started all 134. He also would love to have someone who values the ball as much as Nembhard.

In that same game Nembhard dished 16 assists against USF, he became the first player to record consecutive games of at least 15 assists against Division-I teams since Iona’s Scott Machado in November 2011 after having the 15 the previous game against Santa Clara. Nembhard led the West Coast Conference in assists as both a junior and senior, and this season led the entire NCAA in total assists (344) and assists per game (9.8).

From day one, Nembhard believes his feel for the game will carry over to the NBA. That isn’t always easy to showcase in drills. Whenever given the chance, Nembhard is making it a point to display what kind of leader he is.

The 22-year-old went through the combine and his pro day. He already has met with six or seven teams and has upwards of a dozen to go before the two-day draft that begins June 25. However he can, Nembhard wants teams to trust the person and player they can invest in.

“I think just my understanding of the game, feel for the game, my experience in big games and my experience playing read-and-react basketball is huge,” Nembhard says. “Obviously the lead is more read and react instead of sets. So to be able to come in and play with new guys from workout to workout, being able to make reads and put guys in positions where we can succeed, I think that has been a huge advantage.”

What isn’t an advantage is Nembhard’s size. Unlike his 6-foot-5 older brother, Nembhard measured in at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds at the combine. Part of what he’s trying to make evaluators understand in the weeks leading up to the draft is that his size isn’t a detriment, highlighting what he does best while also letting other aspects of his game shine. Throughout his college career, teams might not have seen him get under guys, play strong defense, make it hard on taller guys and be able to switch and be physical.

They are now.

“A big one for me, obviously, is the defensive side of the ball,” Nembhard said. “I feel like people doubt it, just because I’m a smaller guy. But I feel like there’s a lot of guys in the league that are small that make it tough on these bigger guys to put the ball on the deck and make plays. Just try to be physical, do the little things, as well as be a leader.

“If I have to come in and come off the bench or whatever it may be, just being able to lead guys and put guys in the right situations to be successful.” ‘

His record-breaking college career is over. The Warriors own one pick in the upcoming draft at No. 41 overall, and right as his brother is four wins away from a championship, Nembhard is demonstrating what made him so successful for his previous programs, along with new tools that can add more wins for whatever organization brings him inside their building.

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