Mavericks' ambitious rookie dream just met its harsh kryptonite

Ryan Nembhard's game screams polish and poise, but some early struggles are impossible to ignore.

Will Miller

Dallas Mavericks, Ryan Nembhard / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

While Ryan Nembhard was the Dallas Mavericks’ savior in their first Summer League contest, this was far from the case in Dallas’ second contest versus the San Antonio Spurs. Despite having struggled shooting from the field in his first game, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg completely flipped the script versus San Antonio while being relegated to a lesser role in terms of being a primary initiator, as Flagg finished with 31 points on 10-201 shooting from the field.

Flagg and Nembhard essentially flip-flopped these last two games in terms of who was efficient from the field, but Dallas will need both of them to be productive if they want to compete for a Summer League title. More concerning than any sort of Summer league stakes, though, could be Nembhard’s offensive performance in this game.

Nembhard is maybe 6-foot, and the Spurs’ rangy and athletic wings clearly affected his ability to get to his spots. Where Flagg’s struggles in his first game were more of just a rough shooting night, Nembhard looked very hindered versus the Spurs’ Summer League squad, and while the Spurs’ had some gaudy defensive prospects such as Carter Bryant, Nembhard will have to play against those type of defenders every night at the NBA level.

Ryan Nembhard's struggles could derail Dallas' rookie utopia

By no means is Nembhard’s NBA career cooked, and he could still very well make Dallas’ rotation next season, but this game certainly didn’t bode well for Nembhard’s odds at cracking Dallas’ rotations next season, and this would’ve been a dream for Dallas’ rookie corps considering they already have Flagg.

Nembhard went an abysmal 1-10 from the field for only two points versus the Spurs, and he also finished with five turnovers despite also having seven assists. He was in jail all game long and struggled to convert on contested looks in the mid-range and from outside. While Nembhard has a great change of pace and speed, it’ll be tough for him to have games like he did versus the Lakers’ Summer League team at the NBA level, as one has to be ridiculously precise and calculated when running the show as a guard at his size.

It would’ve been an idealistic scenario if Nembhard and Flagg were both players in the rotation for the Mavericks next season, but this already seemed semi-unlikely given the ascension of Brandon Williams.

Nembhard could still undoubtedly crack Dallas’ rotation if he has a stellar training camp and preseason, but his second Summer League game proved why it will be tough for him to find his mold at the NBA level. If Flagg and Nembhard both become players for the Mavericks one day, then Mavericks fans will certainly make the comparison between Flagg and Nembhard to Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, and hopefully, the Mavericks won’t lose out on these two like they have with Doncic and Brunson.

Will Miller

Will Miller is a senior contributor and is in his second year with The Smoking Cuban. Will has been following the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade and is currently working on getting a Bachelors in Science in Sports Journalism from the University of North Texas, as he is also covering sports for the North Texas TV station. While Will is opening up his coverage to cover other sports for UNT, basketball and the Dallas Mavericks are his true passion and he hopes to continue writing and producing Mavericks related content as his career continues. Will has very solid in-game analysis and knowledge about the intricacies of the game, and has a very broad understanding about the NBA as a whole. Going forward Will is looking to be more expansive in his coverage of the Mavericks beyond writing as well. Outside of writing about the Mavericks, Will enjoys hanging with friends, going to the gym, and watching other sports and live events.