The comparisons, Ryan Nembhard understands, are meant as flattery, tinged with hope.
Watching dynamic 5-11, 180-pound Nembhard, first in summer league, more recently in preseason games, has caused Mavericks fans to have flashbacks to a pair of other underestimated, smaller-statured Dallas guards.
One of them, J.J. Barea, helped lead the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title. The other, Jalen Brunson, helped Dallas reach a conference final and, as a Knick, is a two-time All-Star.
To be even remotely compared to those players is nice, but . . .
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“I’m just looking to make my own impact on this league, on this team,” Nemhardt said. “Those guys are great. I watch those guys and want to take things from them, but I also just kind of want to do my own thing.”
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Besides, 22-year-old Nembhard hasn’t yet played in a regular-season NBA game. That could happen as soon as Wednesday, when the Mavericks open their season at home against San Antonio.
Much of the attention that night will be on the 2025 NBA Draft’s top two picks, No. 1 Cooper Flagg of Dallas and No. 2 Dylan Harper of the Spurs, who also boast No. 14 overall pick Carter Bryant.
Nembhard, despite leading the nation in assist average (9.8) last season at Gonzaga, wasn’t selected on draft night. Instead he signed a two-way contract with Dallas.
While Nembhard had a strong preseason, averaging a team-best five assists, fellow guards Dante Exum and Brandon Williams were hampered by injury, leading coach Jason Kidd to declare that Nembhard has made a case for being in the playing rotation.
Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (9) and forward Cooper Flagg (32) look on during the second half of an NBA summer league basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
David Becker / AP
Though it’s likely that Kidd will either start at point guard D’Angelo Russell or Flagg as part of a tall-ball lineup, smallest-Maverick Nembhard is fast earning respect among teammates and coaches.
“He’s steady. Understands how to play the game,” Kidd said. “Ryan is a point guard who has set the table in the games that we have put him in a different rotation spot.
“He’s had success finding guys. Even when we talk about misses, we’re getting great looks with him running the show. . . And our pace does not drop off when he’s at the point guard.”
Like Nembhard, Barea began his NBA career as an undrafted Maverick, in 2006. He averaged 2.4 points in 33 appearances in his rookie season, but by his third season he was one of the first Mavericks off the bench.
Point guard Kidd was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks in February of 2008. For the next four seasons Kidd and Barea were part of a three-guard rotation with Jason Terry.
When asked whether Nembhard reminds him of anyone, Kidd smiled, realizing where The News was going with the question.
“J.J. never passed the ball,” Kidd joked.
“J.J. was a scorer, but I think both love the competition,” Kidd said of the Nembhard comparison. “I think it’s a little different because Ryan — I think he can score in this league and he has shown that — but we’re asking him to set the table. And I think the guys really enjoy playing with him.”
Nembhard’s competitive fire and high basketball I.Q. no doubt come from growing up in a basketball family in Ontario, Canada.
His brother Andrew, who is three years older, starred at Montverde Academy, then Florida, then Gonzaga. As a third-year starter for the Pacers last season, he helped lead Indiana to the NBA Finals, where it fell to OKC in seven games.
On the eve of summer league play in July, Ryan Nembhard said he grew up modeling his game after Chris Paul, Toronto Raptors Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and, naturally, his brother. He said he learned a lot while watching June’s NBA Finals and the ways Andrew impacted Pacers’ wins.
“I’ve learned a lot from him my whole life,” Ryan said. “It’s great to have someone like that you can look up to and get tidbits.”
Ryan followed Andrew to Montverde (which also produced Flagg), then played two seasons at Creighton and two at Gonzaga.
Though he averaged 12.6 points as a junior and 10.5 as a senior, Nembhard was a pass-first guard. In that regard, he’s more like Kidd, whom the Mavericks drafted No. 2 overall in 1994 out of Cal.
Like Nembhard, Kidd led the nation in assist average (9.1) in his final college season.
“I think you can lean into that,” Kidd said. “I think his teammates lean into that. But I think it is nice to have someone that is thinking about setting the table.
“And I think he’ll benefit from that in this league because of his passing. He’ll have opportunities to score, too, because everybody knows he’s looking for his teammates.”
To Kidd’s point, Nembhard has shown that he’s too good of a shooter for opponents to back off of him and play the pass.
Between his junior and senior seasons at Gonzaga, he improved his shooting mechanics. He said he worked on having a higher release point, moving his fingers down and sticking his follow-through for better ball rotation.
His 3-point shooting percentage improved from 32.1% as a junior to 40.4% as a senior.
“I think my scoring is definitely a little underrated,” he said.
As a player on a two-way contract, he’ll be limited to 50 NBA games this season.
Along with the roller-coaster nature of splitting time between the Mavericks and G League Texas Legends, his NBA time will in part be dictated on matchups, as well as the health of Exum and Williams.
There’s also the expected return of Irving, most likely sometime after January. Nembhard said he’s already learned much from Irving by listening to him and by watching his workouts.
“He’s a great dude; a great leader,” Nembhard said. “He’s been great so far with all the young guys and the rest of the squad. I can’t wait to pick his brain even more and see when he gets back on the court.”
Learning that Kidd has been impressed with his play helps validate the work he’s put in, but Nembhard knows his NBA journey has barely started.
“I’ve still got to go out and perform and show that I can actually play in the rotation,” he said. “So I’m excited for the opportunity that I have and the situation that I’m in. And I’m looking to take full advantage.”
Twitter: @townbrad
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