Player who quickly gained Mavericks' trust is currently ineligible for the postseason

If the Dallas Mavericks must make a decision about Ryan Nembhard's contract in order to make him eligible for the postseason, then things went well from now until April.

I don't want to get ahead of myself — but if the Mavs do make the playoffs, they will have to either convert Nembhard to a standard NBA contract or play in the postseason without him, as two-way players are not eligible for playoff rosters.

Nembhard has gained the Mavs' trust after he's been forced into playing regular minutes out of necessity. Kyrie Irving has been out all season, D'Angelo Russell has been a rollercoaster, and Brandon Williams has been awesome but can't do it all himself.

On Monday, in the Mavs' best game of the year, Nembhard scored a career-high 28 points and dished 10 assists (with 0 turnovers), lifting the team to a thrilling win.

Ryan Nembhard and Moussa Cisse have both provided quality minutes

Fans probably shouldn't expect that type of production every night, but Nembhard is getting more comfortable by the week, and even when Irving returns, he should be in consideration for a standard deal if that becomes a decision the Mavs have to make.

He's not the Mavs' only two-way guy who has shown some nice stretches, though, as Moussa Cisse has also been forced into some action and has brought energy in the minutes he's gotten. I don't see Cisse being a real candidate for a standard deal (at least this year), but the Mavs might have the best two-man two-way duo in the league.

With the Mavs already having 15 standard contracts on the roster, they would also need to waive a player to make room for Nembhard. There isn't a clear candidate to be waived if that does become the case; Caleb Martin hasn't played well, but has a history of playoff success. Jaden Hardy has played sparingly and hasn't been great in those minutes, but giving up on a 23 year-old that quickly is harsh.

As it stands, the Mavs aren't in playoff position. But if the past two games are any indication, maybe they have more fight in them than it appeared about two weeks ago.

If it comes down to it, and the Mavs squeeze their way into playoff contention, decisions will need to be made about the roster makeup, and if Ryan Nembard keeps impressing in his opportunities, he'll make that decision a tougher one.