After a quick glance at the up-and-coming Mavericks roster, one thing is clear: this team boasts a wealth of proven veteran talent and experience. Players like Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving will serve as valuable mentors for the younger players to learn from — as they should, given that this trio combines for six NBA championships and 24 All-Star appearances.
But it’s not just the veterans who make this roster exciting. The Mavericks also feature promising young talent, including 20-year-old Dereck Lively, who already has two seasons under his belt, the newest No. 1 overall draft pick, Cooper Flagg, and Max Christie, who was acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić out of Dallas.
Now, there may be another intriguing addition to watch — undrafted free agent guard Ryan Nembhard, who could emerge as a hidden gem.
Nembhard starred at one of college basketball’s premier programs, Gonzaga, and recently signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks organization. He’ll be looking to impress with the Mavericks’ Summer League team and earn meaningful minutes on the main roster, rather than spending most of his time with their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
He will be given tons of opportunity during this summer league stint to make his mark, especially with tons of eyes drawn to the game due to Cooper Flagg playing as well. And with lottery picks generally sitting out after a few summer league games he will be looked as the key contributor, if Flagg does tap out early to avoid injury going into the regular season.
According to Fansided.com, Nembhard even topped their list of potential Summer League sleepers to make the Mavericks’ roster this season. With Kyrie Irving expected to miss parts of the beginning of the season due to an ACL injury, the Mavericks will need added depth at the guard position — and Nembhard could be the answer.
On Thursday, the Mavericks faced the Lakers in a Summer League matchup featuring plenty of young talent on both sides.
The results? An 87-85 win.
Flagg finished an interesting pro debut with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block on 5-21 shooting and 0-5 from three. He played a surprisingly-high 32 minutes in the game - which is the most minutes played by a No. 1 pick in their Summer League debut in recent memory.
(Bronny James scored eight for the Lakers.)
Nembhard was the Mavs' driving force with a team-high 21 points and five assists in his 32 minutes. Kelly was the only other Maverick in double-figure scoring with 17 points, knocking down three of Dallas' nine three-pointers.
There’s no shortage of storylines this summer ... and Nembhard just added himself to the list.