For the first time since opening night, when he logged 16:52 minutes in a double overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Andrew Nembhard is making his triumphant return for the Indiana Pacers on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.

Originally suffering a shoulder injury that has held him out of action for the past seven games, Nembhard is expected to see playing time against a Nuggets team riding high off a very impressive series of offseason moves. Boasting a 6-2 record, including three-straight wins over the Sacramento Kings, the Miami Heat, and the Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets look to keep their hot streak going on their home court against the Pacers team sitting with just one win on eight tries thanks to a surprise dub over the Dubs 114-109.

With Nembhard out, the Pacers have largely turned to Ben Sheppard and Quenton Jackson to fill the backcourt spot next to Aaron Nesmith. Assuming he's healthy and can play up to his 2024-25 standards, averaging 10 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 28.9 minutes of action per game, it's safe to assume Nembhard will be a fixture of the starting lineup into the future as he attempts to get an Indiana team fans knew would regress back towards some sense of relevancy as their de facto point guard.

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Will it work? Can the Pacers surprise fans in this, a season without Tyrese Haliburton? Probably not, but then again, who really expected them to represent the East in the NBA Finals last year? Stranger things have happened.