DALLAS – Ryan Nembhard truly saved his best for last.
Nembhard’s near triple-double – 15 points, 23 assists and nine rebounds – in the Dallas Mavericks’ season finale on Sunday put an exclamation point on a rookie season that had already far exceeded expectations.
“In Vancouver (during training camp), you could see guys enjoyed playing with him,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “He belongs in this league.”
Nembhard, who starred at Gonzaga for two seasons before signing with the Mavs as an undrafted free agent in 2025, started the season as a two-way player before earning a standard contract in late February. In 60 games with Dallas (27 starts), he averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds.
His assist total on Sunday broke the franchise’s single-game rookie record held by Kidd, who set the mark in 1995. Only Kidd’s 25-assist performance a year later – in a double-overtime game – ranks higher.
“Yeah, shout-out to my coach for just leaving me in to get that,” Nembhard said. “Credit to guys for making shots. Just trying to be aggressive and play the right way, guys made shots.”
Nembhard admits he was digging hard to get that 10th rebound to clinch the triple-double during the 149-128 win over the Chicago Bulls where teammate Moussa Cisse finished with 20 rebounds, tying the Mavs’ longtime rookie record set by the late Roy Tarpley in 1987.
“It’s tough (to get that last board),” Nembhard said. “We’ve got Moussa, who’s got 20 rebounds. I was trying to get it for sure, but it’s all good, a good game.”
Kidd had no problem seeing Nembhard break his record.
“I was trying to sub him out if he got to 24,” Kidd joked postgame. “That’s awesome for Ryan. Records, I think, are meant to be broken. Ryan, again, is the perfect example of … coming on as a two-way, showing and proving to us that he’s more than a two-way (player).
“So, for him to break that record, I commend him and it’s not easy, especially when you’ve got other guys in there that are playing in front of you. He just continued coming to work every day and getting better. I thought he was going to get 26 assists … and get that 10th rebound. You saw the bench (cheering for him), you saw guys out there trying to help him … we’re happy that he got (the record).”
His more heralded rookie teammate, Cooper Flagg, the first pick in last June’s draft, was limited on the court Sunday with an ankle issue, but also enjoyed watching Nembhard grab the assist mark.
“Yeah, I think it’s special. We all know what Ryan is capable of and what he can do,” Flagg said. “I thought it was special for him. Obviously, he got a good opportunity tonight to go out there and show what he’s capable of, so it was great for him.”
Following Sunday’s game, Nembhard also touched on a couple of other topics.
On Cooper Flagg
“I think ever since Day 1, just the kind of guy he is, how competitive he is and the joy he plays with and brings to the locker room is big-time,” Nembhard said. “For a 19-year-old to come in and do that and command respect of the guys, he obviously had an amazing year.”
On ex-Zags
“I don’t know (which Zags I’ve enjoyed seeing most this year) … Chet (Holmgren) is always a good dude, my brother, Jalen Suggs. I’ve met those guys a bunch of times and have been out in Spokane with those guys,” Nembhard said. “We’ve got a real good culture at Gonzaga. It’s special to see all those guys in the league and it’s a brotherhood whenever we see each other. It’s always good seeing each other.”
And, of course, his older brother Andrew, who was limited to 57 games this season with Indiana due to a back injury, has been invaluable as Ryan navigated his first NBA season.
“Yeah, he’s told me a lot. Throughout this whole process, he’s been great to look up to, seeing how he attacks his journey and the experiences he has,” Ryan said. “It’s also good just to bounce ideas off each other. We’re both at this level now and talking about new things.”
On next season
Last summer, Nembhard made a splash for the Mavs’ entry in the Vegas Summer League, an experience he’d like to replicate this summer if management is willing.
During team exit interviews following the Bulls game, he also said he expects to spend much of his summer in Dallas working out alongside Flagg, Kyrie Irving – who is set to return from an ACL repair – or anyone else who happens to stay in town during the sweltering Texas summer.
“Just continue to work (is what I want to do this summer). Take this summer and get better,” Nembhard said. “So much I want to improve on and get better. I want to continue to stretch the floor and make 3 balls.
“Obviously, we have guys that are talented and get a lot of attention, so you want to make shots when they give you catch-and-shoot opportunities, as well as continue to get stronger, work on my body, continue to defend at a high level, and find tricks that I can get better at on that end of the floor. Continue to understand the game as a point guard, understand what we want at certain times in the game and how we want to go about attacking. This is a big summer for me and I can’t wait.”
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.