Mavericks' overlooked rookie must fix this hidden flaw before it's too late

Dallas Mavericks undrafted point guard Ryan Nembhard exceeded expectations as a rookie, averaging 6.6 points and 5.3 assists per game while flashing high-level playmaking, including a 23-assist performance. But flashes aren’t enough in the NBA, and if Nembhard is going to last, one overlooked adjustment could make all the difference: his development as a 3-point shooter.

Three-Point volume remains Ryan Nembhard's missing piece

At 5-foot-11, Nembhard faces inherent challenges on both ends of the floor. His preternatural passing gives him an offensive foundation, but without consistent scoring, defenses have little reason to respect him as a threat. For a guard his size, developing a reliable 3-point shot isn’t just helpful; it’ll be essential to unlocking the rest of his game.

This isn’t to suggest Nembhard is a poor 3-point shooter — far from it. He converted 35.6 percent of his attempts as a rookie, right around league average, and knocked down 40.4 percent from deep as a senior at Gonzaga.

What's concerning is his 3-point volume, or lack thereof.

Nembhard averaged only 2.3 3-point attempts per game last season, which ranked 169th among 234 qualified players. That’s a surprisingly low number for an undersized guard playing 19.5 minutes a night, and it shows in his shot profile, with just 34.6 percent of his attempts coming from deep. For a player of his archetype, that lack of volume limits his offensive impact.

Nembhard was one of just three players 6-foot-1 or shorter to take fewer than 35 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, joining teammate Brandon Williams and Tre Jones of the Chicago Bulls. For smaller guards, that’s a notable outlier, underscoring how limited his perimeter volume has been.

And this trend isn’t new for Nembhard. Even in college, at Creighton and Gonzaga, his 3-point volume remained modest, with a career-high 39.9 percent of his field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc during his sophomore season. In other words, he has consistently leaned toward playmaking over perimeter scoring.

Nembhard's shot profile is what needs rebalancing

Playmaking is Nembhard's bread and butter, but it doesn’t preclude him from being more aggressive as a shooter. Instead, he leaned heavily into the mid-range, with 27.4 percent of his attempts coming from that area. He ranked sixth in the NBA in mid-range volume, yet converted those looks at a below-average rate. It's an inefficient trade-off for a guard whose value would be better maximized from beyond the arc.

The solution, in theory, is straightforward. Since it’s not about Nembhard being a poor shooter, it’s about optimizing his shot profile. Reducing inefficient mid-range attempts and reallocating that volume to 3-pointers would better align his game with modern offensive value. The adjustment is subtle, but it could pay significant dividends in expanding Nembhard’s offensive impact.

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