Ryan Nembhard has quietly made the Mavericks a legitimate threat

Ryan Nembhard has instantly changed the culture for a Dallas Mavericks team that was dangerously close to losing its season before Christmas could even arrive. With a surplus of injuries piling up and a painful lack of options at point guard, Nembhard has unexpectedly answered the call.

With Nembhard stabilizing the point guard position, the Mavericks have begun to string together wins in a way they hadn't previously been able to. In turn, they've unexpectedly re-emerged as a legitimate threat to make the playoffs.

Nembhard burst onto the scene during a Nov. 28 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup. He posted 17 points, four assists, two rebounds, and a steal in 23 minutes, thus successfully capitalizing on his first opportunity to play at least 20 minutes in a single game.

The undrafted rookie has since received at least 20 minutes in every game Dallas has played, helping the Mavericks compile a pleasantly surprising 4-1 record along the way.

For perspective on how significant winning four out of five games is, Dallas had won just five of its first 20 outings. To make matters worse, it'd gone 3-12 over the 15 games prior to its current run. Thankfully, it's early enough in the season to erase poor tendencies and recover from lackluster results.

Dallas now sits just a half-game back of the Play-In Tournament and a more than manageable 6.5 games behind the No. 6 seed—with 57 games to play. Nembhard's breakthrough is a massive reason the Mavericks can complete their unlikely turnaround.

Ryan Nembhard is the answer Mavericks couldn't find at point guard

Dallas spent its first 19 games desperately trying to figure out how to play cohesive team basketball without Kyrie Irving. It signed D'Angelo Russell to hold down the fort, but quickly changed course by entrusting the point guard duties to rookie forward Cooper Flagg.

Flagg has been arguably the biggest beneficiary of Nembhard's emergence, as he's finally playing a role that suits his current strengths and limitations.

With a true point guard in the rotation, Flagg has been able to pick his spots as a scorer and playmaker. The results have been thrilling, as the No. 1 pick is averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 53.8 percent shooting from the field in the six games during which Nembhard has broken the 20-minute mark.

Moreover, Flagg is averaging more assists and rebounds per 75 possessions when Nembhard is on the court, which speaks to how his game has become less rigid with a more versatile role.

Flagg isn't alone in benefiting from Nembhard's presence on the court. P.J. Washington is shooting 3.5 percent better from beyond the arc when he's playing with the rookie, Max Christie increases his true shooting percentage by 7.9 percent, and Jaden Hardy makes an even more profound leap of 8.2 percent.

It's all a direct result of how the addition of a point guard who's playing their natural position and style can simplify matters for teammates who simply need the opportunity to play their own game.

It certainly doesn't hurt that Nembhard is thriving individually. Since re-entering the rotation on Nov. 24, he's averaging 13.0 points, 6.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 three-point field goals made in 25.3 minutes per game. He's also finished outings with explosive stat lines of 28 points and 10 assists, and 15 points and 13 assists.

Whether or not Nembhard is the starting point guard of the future, what's become perfectly clear with him in the lineup is that the Mavericks are a postseason-caliber team when they have a floor general they can trust to play the part.