Ryan Nembhard went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, leaving him available to the hungriest team that would pursue his services after the process was over. That proved to be the Dallas Mavericks.
The Los Angeles Lakers already got a taste of what Nembhard was capable of back in the summer league. The Mavericks guard dropped 21 points in an 87-85 win against the Lakers. The young guard finally got to properly showcase his prowess to the rest of the NBA world.
Amid the Mavericks' desperate search for reliable point guard play, Nembhard got his opening. Dallas' most recent matchup against the Denver Nuggets was his breakout night. Nembhard finished with 28 points, 10 assists, and three rebounds in a stunning 131-121 upset victory over the Nuggets.
Nembhard has started the last three games for the Mavericks. With the depth chart razor thin in Dallas, the undrafted rookie will get more chances to prove to every team that passed on him, including the Lakers, why he deserved a shot in the pros.
Ryan Nembhard's draft concerns are quickly becoming a thing of the past
Nembhard had several aspects working against him in the 2025 NBA Draft. The former Gonzaga guard was undersized and an older prospect. That could be considered a deadly duo for a young backcourt player trying to earn his spot at the next level.
The three starts for Nembhard have provided the encouraging results that speak to why it would have been worthwhile for any team to give him a shot in spite of the concerns. The Mavericks guard has averaged 17.7 points and 5.7 assists per game, shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
Granted, tiny sample size and the shooting numbers are boosted mightily by the standout performance discussed above. However, the Mavericks are 2-1 in those contests.
"To be an undrafted rookie, 22, he’s taken big strides," Anthony Davis told Mike Curtis. "It’s not my decision. It’s above my pay grade, but I don’t know if he’s going to be a two-way too much longer. I don’t even know how that works, but all of the guys on the team love playing with him.”
The Lakers have their own guards they are trying to bring along in the developmental system. Bronny James and Nick Smith Jr. are certainly not lackluster prospects.
Nembhard would also have been unlikely to get the type of opportunity with the main group as he has in Dallas, given the polarizing positions of the two franchises. Even so, every small miss is still a miss. The Lakers may eventually regret not picking up the phone for this one.