DALLAS — During the Las Vegas Summer League, a certain Dallas Mavericks rookie caught the eyes of coaches, executives and scouts around the NBA.
No, not Cooper Flagg.
It was a point guard who led the nation in assists at Gonzaga but went undrafted and signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks. Ryan Nembhard needed only three games as the primary ballhandler before he received the honor of Dallas shutting him down, a practice typically reserved for top picks to prevent injuries during summer league.
Nembhard showed his scoring prowess with 21 points in his summer debut and followed with 15 assists over his final two games, highlighting his strength as a traditional pass-first point guard.
“He knows who he is and that’s kind of refreshing,” coach Jason Kidd said Monday after Nembhard’s breakout game in a 131-121 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Andrew Nembhard was fresh off an NBA Finals run with the Indiana Pacers when he attended his younger brother’s first official NBA game July 10 and was asked during the broadcast what kind of player Dallas was getting.
“A winner,” Andrew said. “A guy who can play-make and make others around him better.”
That selfless skillset is why Kidd has landed on Ryan as the Mavericks’ starting point guard after cycling through four players in 22 games searching to fill the void left by injured star Kyrie Irving.
### A night to remember
Nembhard’s historic night in the Mile High City concluded with two plays just 29 seconds apart that epitomized what Andrew predicted.
The Mavericks guard wanted an isolation against Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones, another undrafted rookie having a career night. It didn’t matter if Jones, listed at 6-7, had an eight-inch height advantage over the 5-11 guard. Nembhard saw a mismatch.
Nembhard waved off Flagg, the No. 1 pick in his draft class, and executed a left-to-right crossover that created just enough separation for a pull-up midrange jumper. The timely bucket gave the Mavericks a nine-point lead with just under two minutes left.
On the next possession, Nembhard drove past Jones again and found himself in the paint. Instead of forcing a floater with four Nuggets defending him, he passed to the Mavericks’ leading 3-point shooter, Max Christie, who drilled a corner triple to seal the win.
Nembhard leaped into the air, just as enthusiastic about setting up his teammate as he was about sinking the shot of the night.
When the final buzzer sounded, Nembhard finished with career highs in points (28), rebounds (three), assists (10) and 3-pointers (four). He also became the first undrafted rookie in the modern draft era to score 25 points and dish out 10 assists with zero turnovers, according to Elias Sports Bureau, and the first overall rookie to record that stat line since Stephon Marbury in 1996.
“It’s just a blessing,” Nembhard said of his record. “It’s a blessing to be with this group of guys. Great group here. I just put in my work every day and stay consistent with that. When you do that, good things will happen. It was a fun night.”
### Next man up
Last Monday in Miami, Nembhard had nine points and seven assists off the bench. It was enough to compel Kidd to insert Nembhard into the starting lineup against the Los Angeles Lakes on Friday.
Though drastic, the change wasn’t surprising considering he experimented with starting Flagg at point guard for the first seven games, forcing the No. 1 pick to adapt to the pressures that come with being a team’s primary playmaker.
After realizing Flagg was better with a guard on the floor, the Mavericks coach started veteran guard D’Angelo Russell for three games before pivoting to Brandon Williams for nine games.
It’s only been three games, but the Mavericks’ 30th-ranked offense scores more when Nembhard is in the lineup. The team’s top two scoring starting lineups feature Nembhard, Christie, Flagg, Anthony Davis and either P.J. Washington or Naji Marshall. The starting group with Marshall averages 36 points in one game, while the group with Washington has an average of 33 points. Dallas is 28th in the NBA in scoring with 111.1 points per game.
Change is about the only thing that’s constant with the Mavericks, who’ve had 11 different starting lineups this season. It’s entirely possible that Nembhard’s position as the team’s starting point guard could be temporary based on his performance, as it was with his predecessors. But as long as he’s playing well, Kidd likely won’t try to fix what isn’t broken.
Kidd, a traditional point guard who became a Hall of Famer, admires Nembhard’s ability to prioritize setting the table for his teammates.
“The big thing is his teammates enjoy being out there with him because they know they have a chance of getting the ball,” Kidd said.
### ‘Welcome to the league’
Nembhard established himself as one of the best passers in the country during his final season at Gonzaga, where he played for his final two seasons of college. As a senior, he averaged 10.5 points, 9.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 35 games with the Bulldogs.
Though undersized for the point guard position, Nembhard doesn’t shy away from that reality or see it as a barrier to success.
“I’ve been dealing with it my whole life,” Nembhard, 22, said after his summer league debut. “At the end of the day, I am who I am. I’m not going to grow much more. I’m probably done in that sense. I’m just looking to build on this opportunity, and I feel like at a certain point the height won’t be talked about anymore.”
His height hasn’t mattered much since becoming a starter for the Mavericks. In four games, he’s averaged 17.7 points and 5.7 assists with just 1.3 turnovers per game. The last rookie with 25 points and 10 assists in a victory was his brother, Andrew, according to ESPN.
Nembhard was part of Dallas’ dynamic trio that led the charge in Monday’s win. Anthony Davis returned from a one-game absence with a dominant showing of 32 points and 13 rebounds. Flagg continued his stellar play and finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. It took the collective to counter Nikola Jokic’s stat-stuffing triple-double of 29 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists.
“It seemed like he didn’t miss,” Jokic said of Nembhard. “He was really good. He was getting people involved. … He was one of their best players tonight.”
After the game, Russell waited for Nembhard to finish his postgame interview so he could present the rookie with the game ball.
“Welcome to the league, my boy!” Russell said.
That performance might have been a “welcome to the league” moment, but it was also an invitation from Nembhard for the league to get familiar with his game.
As it stands, Nembhard’s time with the Mavericks could be limited. Players on two-way contracts are limited to just 50 games with their NBA team, and he has 35 left.
The Mavericks encountered this problem last season when Williams and former two-way forward Kessler Edwards reached their 50-game limits because of the team’s injury crisis. Dallas ultimately converted Williams’ two-way deal to a standard contract.
Without an open roster spot, the Mavericks would need to waive a player to create the room to sign anyone else, which they can’t do until Jan. 5 because they’re capped at the second apron. If Nembhard plays every game of his remaining allotment, he’ll run out Feb. 22 against Indiana.
It’s unclear if Irving will be cleared to play by then, but the Mavericks appeared to have found a temporary solution at point guard. Even Davis intimated that Nembhard would find his way to his first standard contract soon.
“It’s above my pay grade, but I don’t know if he’s going to be a two-way too much longer,” Davis said.