Mavs on Ryan Nembhard: Everyone Knows We Got a Steal
Sep 2, 2025
The Mavericks won big on NBA Draft night by selecting Duke phenom Cooper Flagg with the first overall selection, but that wasn't their only win. The team also might have landed a contributor after the draft concluded by signing Ryan Nembhard as an undrafted free agent.
The NBA, as a league, can become obsessed with size and measurables. These measureballs result in players with little success but incredible athleticism being drafted in the lottery. It's easy for guys like Ryan Nembhard, who is only five-foot-eleven and 176 pounds, but had tremendous success in college, to be overlooked.
Dallas moved fast to sign Nembhard and immediately paid dividends during Summer League play. In his three games, the point guard averaged 11.3 points and 6.7 assists per game.
When explaining why the team shut down Nembhard after three games, Coach Josh Broghamer said:
“ You guys saw it, Ryan didn't have to prove anything else. I think everyone knows we got a steal in him, and he can play on the ball, off the ball, he's gonna be a hard-nosed defender, as much as anything, and so, we didn't need to see anything else from him because we know what we got with him, and we're very excited about him going forward. „
There will be room for Nembhard, whose brother, Andrew, is an important player for the Pacers, to carve out a role in Dallas as Kyrie Irving will be recovering from surgery. And Dallas has shown a knack for developing undersized point guards. Superstar Jalen Brunson began his career there before moving on to the Knicks.
