Mavericks' perfect answer to their season-killing problem is impossible to ignore

The Dallas Mavericks' biggest problem all season has been their play at point guard, and they finally have an answer in the form of Ryan Nembhard.

The Mavericks knew they would be without Kyrie Irving for a large chunk of the season after he tore his ACL in March, and they signed D'Angelo Russell and re-signed Dante Exum to fill this hole. This plan has not worked out for Dallas, as Exum is out for the year and Russell has underperformed, forcing Jason Kidd to try everything to get his league-worst offense, 30th in offensive rating with 107.6 points per 100 possessions, back on track.

Kidd started the season with Cooper Flagg at point guard, then tried Russell and Brandon Williams, and finally tried Nembhard after he returned to the lineup from a knee sprain recently. The young rookie seems to have this starting spot in full control, and he has the skills to be Dallas' starting point guard of the future if he can keep this up.

He has been the only point guard on the team who can effectively run the offense and take care of the ball while also being a threat to score himself. Their former biggest weakness, which looked like it would tank the season, is now looking like a major strength.

It's time for Nembhard to become Dallas' permanent starting point guard

Over his first four starts, Nembhard is averaging 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 65.1 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from downtown, showing that he can score at a high rate while being an effective floor general.

The thing that Kidd seems to like most about Nembhard's game is his selflessness and self-awareness, and he has played his role to a tee thus far.

"He’s comfortable with who he is," Kidd said about Nembhard earlier this week. "He’s not trying to prove or be somebody else. He’s comfortable with his game."

This is exactly what the Mavs needed, as Nembhard's sole focus is to get everyone else around him involved rather than himself. He can create his own shot when needed, as he drilled 10 jump shots en route to 28 points against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, but he typically looks to pass before even looking to score.

This is a valuable quality for a point guard in today's NBA, as everyone is seemingly always looking to make highlight plays, but Nembhard is always more focused on making the right play rather than ending up on an Instagram Reel.

He has already separated himself as the best passer on the team, and all signs are pointing to Dallas signing him to a standard contract later this season. Nembhard is on a two-way deal, meaning that he can only be eligible to play in 50 games for the Mavericks, but they should be able to convert his contract before that even becomes an issue.

The easiest thing to do would be to waive Exum while converting Nembhard's two-way deal to a standard contract and signing a different player to the then-open two-way spot created by Nembhard, and they'll be eligible to make such a move beginning on January 6. As things stand now, Dallas is hard-capped at the second apron, meaning they can't make any roster additions until January 6.

Mavericks fans will have to wait just over a month before Nembhard will likely be a member of the team's 15-man roster, and he is becoming more and more of a fan-favorite as time goes on. Last night after Nembhard's 15-point, 13-assist, and 1-turnover performance, he became the first rookie since 1977-78 to put up at least 40 points, 20 assists and one or fewer turnovers in a two-game period.

The Mavericks are seeing historical stuff from their newest point guard, and the team is in good hands as they enter the Flagg era.