Mavericks' draft steal is the NBA's best-kept secret entering next season

The Dallas Mavericks stole the show during the 2025 NBA Draft earlier this summer as they selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick. Dallas was long expected to draft Flagg, as they shut down rumors that they would consider trading the pick almost immediately after they won the lottery, but taking Flagg wasn't their only outstanding move during the two days of the draft.

Even though the Mavericks didn't have a second-round pick, they made some noise right after the draft ended. Dallas signed Ryan Nembhard in undrafted free agency, and he is already looking like one of the biggest steals of the summer. Nembhard clearly should've been drafted, as he was incredible at Summer League and even outperformed Flagg during their first game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Flagg and Nembhard truly look like they are going to be one of the best rookie duos in the NBA next year, and Nembhard is the best-kept secret in all of the NBA heading into the 2025-26 season.

Ryan Nembhard will soon take the league by storm

For starters, Nembhard should've never gone undrafted, and Mavericks fans can see how special he is just by looking at the NCAA's all-time assists leaders for a single season. Nembhard's 344 assists last season at Gonzaga were the fifth-most assists from a player in a single season ever.

He had a historical season for the Zags, as his passing, shooting, and feel for the game were on display every night, and he proved that he had what it takes to head to the NBA. He continued his dominant stretch into Summer League, as his poise and ability as a floor general dazzled the Mavericks, and they only let him play three games before shutting him down.

Teams shutting down highly-drafted players after a few Summer League games is common, as Dallas did this with Flagg, but an undrafted player getting shut down is a completely different story. The Mavericks clearly value Nembhard highly, and he will likely have the chance to play some real minutes right away.

Even though Nembhard is on a two-way contract, meaning he can only suit up for 50 games, Dallas' guard depth definitely needs some help. With Kyrie Irving set to miss significant time, the Mavericks are going to need all of the production they can get out of their backcourt.

Nembhard is going to be in an uphill battle to get minutes at first, as D'Angelo Russell, Dante Exum, Brandon Williams, and maybe even Jaden Hardy will be in front of him on the depth chart, but he has what it takes to climb the ranks and nab a role at some point. Nembhard's 3-point shooting makes him someone who can play alongside other guards, as he can play on or off the ball, and this could end up making him indispensable.

If Nembhard can quickly show Jason Kidd that he can hang with NBA competition and make everyone around him better, he could end up surpassing some of the aforementioned players and potentially earning a standard contract spot. We saw this happen with Williams at the end of last season, and Nembhard could become a Mavs staple if he continues to develop.

Nembhard having the potential to be an outstanding NBA point guard may be quiet now, as he hasn't gotten as much buzz as he deserves, but fans will quickly wake up to the fact that there are two stellar rookies in Dallas, not just one.