The NBA Summer League has brought out the best in guys like Cooper Flagg. Now, with Flagg sitting out for the rest of the Summer League, it's time to see some Dallas Mavericks shine.
Some guys have been heavily involved in Summer League, like Miles Kelly, who's been shooting lights out from deep. He's looking like someone who can easily transition into someone like Klay Thompson one day if necessary. One guy that's looking like the steal of the draft is Ryan Nembhard, who's looked really confident in his shot form.
Nembhard's older brother, Andrew, has become a staple for the Indiana Pacers and will be a major asset for next season with Tyrese Haliburton out for the whole year, thanks to an Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Ryan has a very similar playing style to Andrew, and because of his rise in the NBA Summer League, he might be testing Jason Kidd to give him some actual minutes next season.
Ryan Nembhard is already echoing Andrew's rise
Nembhard has quickly stepped up as someone who fits the billing as a fast guard who reads the court well. Not to mention, he's fixed his shot to make himself look like a relevant player. Even though he struggled mightily against the San Antonio Spurs as a scorer, he's risen above that and looks a lot more confident compared to the beginning of the Summer League.
On the "ALL NBA Podcast," NBA analyst and former 3-point contest champion Tim Legler mentioned how Ryan plays exactly like his brother, Andrew. He still needs to clean up his ball handling, but he can rise to the same level as his brother in the next two or three seasons if he continues to work on his court vision consistently.
“It’s literally like watching a miniaturized version of his brother," Legler said. "They play exactly the same way."
The only major difference is that Ryan has some height to make up.
Andrew is four inches taller than his younger brother, but there are ways that Ryan can use that to his advantage against his opponents. Speed is usually the way that guys six feet or under can make up for a lack of height. If we look back at J.J. Barea, who was 5 feet 10 inches tall, he made up for it by dribble-driving past his defenders. Nembhard almost plays similar to someone between Barea and his older brother.
Nembhard is already looking like the next man up.
As Jaden Hardy starts to look more trade bait every day at this point, Nembhard is starting to slowly fill in that role as someone who's younger and confident. During the season, it seemed like Hardy just started to lose his confidence in the second half of last season. Kidd can insert Nembhard as the young, electrifying speedster who can move even quicker.
We still have Summer League and preseason basketball, but don't be surprised if Nembhard gets his shot in the rotation early next season.
