Mavericks are sitting on a breakout star and the league has no idea

The main story of the Dallas Mavericks' 2025 NBA Draft will, of course, be selecting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, as he has the chance to be one of the best players in the NBA in the future if he can reach his full potential, but he isn't the only success story that Nico Harrison and Dallas' front office set into motion back at the end of June.

As soon as the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft ended, Dallas got busy and signed Ryan Nembhard to a one-year deal, and fans should be ecstatic that he somehow went undrafted and fell into the Mavericks' lap.

Nembhard was one of the top point guards in all of college basketball last season at Gonzaga, as he averaged the most assists per game in the nation (9.8), which in total stacked up to be the fifth-most assists in a single season in NCAA history (344). His ability as a passer and floor general is out of this world, and the Mavericks may have signed a future star, and the league just doesn't know it yet.

Ryan Nembhard quietly has all the tools to become a star one day

During Summer League in Las Vegas, Nembhard briefly talked about finding his way to Dallas rather than getting drafted somewhere in the second round, as he liked his fit on the Mavericks and felt like he could be part of something special there. The second round is oftentimes filled with players and their agencies pushing for the best possible fit and potential contract situation rather than trying to get drafted as high as possible, and this was clearly how things unfolded with Nembhard.

He made the rest of the league look stupid for passing up on him through his impressive performance at Summer League, and the Mavericks were so pleased with what they saw that they shut him down after three games. Teams shutting down star players during Summer League is common, as the Mavericks did this with Cooper Flagg after two games, but an undrafted rookie getting shut down after just a few games is almost unheard of.

He showed the Mavericks everything that they needed to see in three games, and they even know that they got a steal in him. Josh Broghamer said at himself in a press conference while in Las Vegas, and he could end up outplaying his two-way contract by the end of the season if he ends up playing as well as the Mavericks think he can.

Dallas' backcourt is relatively full, as they have Kyrie Irving, D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, and Dante Exum as players who can run the offense when needed, and Nembhard is going to be an uphill battle to receive minutes all season long. The preseason and beginning of the regular season are going to be crucial for him, as Irving is set to miss multiple months with an ACL tear, and this is the time when he could win over Jason Kidd and prove that he deserves to be part of the rotation.

Nembhard will have to make the most out of the minutes that he's given, and we could see him have a similar developmental track to what we've seen out of Williams if he can tap into all of his skills and become a staple in Dallas. His 3-point shooting, combined with his unreal vision and passing, make him someone who can play either guard spot, and him knocking down open shots could be key in him becoming part of the real rotation one day.

Analysts have immediately counted out Nembhard ahead of next season due to his height, but he has all of the skills to be an impact player off the bench, and potentially enough to become a consistent starter one day. Ryan has frequently been compared to his brother Andrew of the Indiana Pacers, who is known for his toughness, 3-point shooting, defense, and playmaking. Andrew was a key reason that Indiana was able to advance all the way to the NBA Finals last season, and just like Ryan, he was overlooked as he was a second-round pick.

If Ryan can turn out anything like his brother, the Mavericks are going to have a guard within their organization that could be an amazing building block next to Flagg, and he could take the league by storm as soon as next season. It'll all come down to him getting a chance and making the most of it, and he could end up being one of the biggest rookie steals if he secures a real role in Dallas.