The Dallas Mavericks signed Ryan Nembhard shortly after the 2025 NBA Draft ended, and it didn't take him long to show that the 29 other teams in the NBA shouldn't have passed on him. During NBA Summer League, Nembhard excelled, quickly proving that Cooper Flagg wasn't the only Mavs rookie with star potential.
He followed this up with a productive preseason, ultimately playing well enough for Jason Kidd to make him a real part of the rotation over the first two games of the regular season. He wasn't supposed to take off this quickly as an undrafted rookie, but he broke the norm, becoming the first two-way player that Kidd has played on an opening night since he became the Mavs' head coach in 2021.
Nembhard became one of the best passers on the team the minute that he signed with Dallas, and Kidd even gave him more playing time than marquee free agency addition D'Angelo Russell to begin the season. The hype around Nembhard's potential is real, but this progression within his game didn't happen overnight.
Ryan Nembhard has the work ethic of a future NBA star
Nembhard was in the gym all summer long with skills trainer Jeremie Hart, and his early success in Dallas is a testament to the work that he put in during the offseason.
Hart got connected to Ryan and Andrew Nembhard through renowned coach and basketball mind David Thorpe, and the rest was history. He worked out both brothers for a couple of days in August while Andrew was in town, and Ryan liked Hart's workouts and decided to continue working with him as the summer went on.
Before Mavericks training camp practices, which began at 8:30 AM back in early October, Nembhard worked out with Hart every day at Crum Basketball Center on the campus of SMU in Dallas. Nembhard's private workout would begin at 6:30 and last until he had to leave for his first set of training camp practices with the Mavericks.
Hart puts Nembhard through rigorous workouts that include a focus on ball handling with a weighted ball. Ball-handling drills with a weighted ball are one of Hart's favorite elements of his workouts, as he called it a "daily vitamin that all guards need."
Nembhard is obviously an extremely skilled ball handler, as this is a necessity due to his size, and Hart is putting him into situations and drills that he knows he'll use at the NBA level for Dallas.
"We get into floaters and touch around the rim, just making sure his touch is where it needs to be," Hart told The Smoking Cuban. "He's a small guard, and he's gonna play against a lot of bigs. Finishing around the rim, he's going to need to have that floater package."
Following going through drills that hone in on ball handling and finishing (including finishing through contact and pull-up jumpers in the paint), Hart does his best to make Nembhard run actions or situations that he expects he'll need for the Mavericks. After that, they get into some shooting drills and cap off the workout with conditioning.
Hart noted that Nembhard's jumper has grown more than any other part of his game since they started working together, and that's one thing that should have Mavericks fans excited. Dallas has shot 31.9 percent from downtown over five games this season, which ranks 27th in the NBA, and Nembhard's dedication to improving that part of his game could help him become a normal part of the rotation moving forward.
"I think his jump shot is getting better and better," Hart explained. "Ryan is a really hard worker. He's putting in a lot of work with the Mavericks and their coaching staff and things that they do up at the facility. And then obviously he comes to work with me a couple of times a week outside of that. So he's putting in a lot of effort and a lot of energy and hard work into his jump shot and just crafting that and getting that where it needs to be. And I think you can see it making strides here."
One story that Hart shared that illustrates how hard Nembhard has been working on his 3-point shot dates back to earlier this summer in one of the workouts that he put both Ryan and Andrew through when they competed against one another in a drill he calls "two-minute shooting."
For this drill, Hart puts two minutes on the clock and the players try to make two threes in a row from all five spots around the arc (both corners, both wings, and from the top of the key) twice (there and back), and Ryan and Andrew definitely had some competitive battles during this drill at the end of their workouts, with one time sticking out to Hart.
"I think Andrew went first, and Andrew got all the way around and maybe got to the last two spots and ran out of time," Hart recalled. "Ryan ran through it, and he finished in time, and he gave (Andrew) some crap about that. So that was pretty cool."
Hart made it clear during our entire conversation that he believes Ryan will stick in the league long-term, with his work ethic and playmaking being the top things that have caught his eye. He has trained players like Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Smith Jr., Tre Johnson, and Jalen Wilson over his career as a skills trainer, and he believes that Ryan has some crucial skills to have a long NBA career.
"I think him continuing to show that he's an elite passer like he showed the other day against Utah, having 12 assists and one turnover," Hart shared with us. "Just continuing to show that."
The game that Hart is speaking of was Dallas' third preseason game against the Utah Jazz, and this is where the hype really grew. He put up six points, five rebounds, and 12 assists. Nembhard took over the game with his passing, finding open teammates in transition and in the half-court, and his patience and IQ really stood out.
This game put Mavericks fans on notice, as he was constantly finding open shooters on the perimeter or cutters diving toward the rim for easy slams, but his passing isn't the only thing that makes him an intriguing young piece in Dallas. He is an excellent floor general, and Hart sees this in him as well.
"Continuing to show that you can get the Mavs into the offense and get the guys that need the ball, the ball, and where they need it at in certain moments throughout the game," Hart noted. "And then also being able to be out there with those key guys like Coop, AD, Klay, Naji, and P.J., and those guys, ensuring that he can make a catch-and-shoot open shot when his man helps off of him or when the guard goes under a ball screen."
Nembhard has the ability to set the offense up and knock down open shots, and these two things, combined with his passing, make him someone who should have a special career in Dallas over the years. He still has plenty of time to prove that he deserves a spot in Kidd's regular rotation, and his relentless work ethic will ensure that his game continues to evolve.
Hart has worked with his fair share of two-way players, including Daniss Jenkins of the Detroit Pistons, and he understands how challenging it can be for these players to get consistent playing time and even stay in the league. During his time getting to know Nembhard over the last few months, he has kept his advice simple and powerful.
"I just tell him to take it one day at a time," Hart said. "Be where your feet are, be ready when your name is called. Always, always, be a good teammate. Be one of the first guys in the gym, the last one to leave, like he already is. And just be ready when his name is called."