Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard delivers impressive NBA Summer League debut: 'He's gonna have a long career'

There was something familiar about the way Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard sized up his defender with an array of dribble combos, setting up a clean look for a big-time midrange jumper late in the fourth quarter of Thursday's NBA Summer League showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.

Less than a month ago, his older brother made a habit of coming through in high-pressure situations while helping guide the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals.

ESPN's broadcast crew quickly pointed out the similarities between the Nembhards after Ryan meticulously broke down his defender to create room for a 19-foot step-back jumper, pulling the Mavericks within one of LA with 1:46 left in the fourth quarter.

"Does that look familiar?" ESPN's Mark Jones directed to his color commentator, Tim Legler, during the broadcast. "Tell me that didn't look like a guy that plays for the Pacers."

Ryan Nembhard showed out in his first #NBA2KSummerLeague game 🙌

▪️ 21 PTS
▪️ 5 AST
▪️ Go-ahead 3 in DAL win pic.twitter.com/O8xRofJXjx
— NBA (@NBA) July 11, 2025

Nembhard, who signed a two-way deal with Dallas as an undrafted free agent, has a long journey ahead of him if he's to one day earn a lucrative contract extension and a starting spot on a championship-caliber team like Andrew Nembhard has with the Pacers.

Consider Nembhard's Summer League debut as a strong starting point.

In an exhibition game featuring the most recent No. 1 overall pick, former first-round draft picks and the son of LeBron James, the spotlight was on Gonzaga's record-setting down the stretch of Thursday's highly anticipated matchup between the Mavericks and Lakers at the Thomas & Mack Center.

With his brother and father sitting courtside, Nembhard knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer to put Dallas up 87-85 with 1:03 left in regulation, capping off a Summer League debut to remember for the Ontario native.

Nembhard finished with 21points, five assists and two rebounds, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to lift Dallas to a 2-point win over LA.

"Ryan's incredible," Flagg said on ESPN's postgame broadcast. "The way he can pass the ball, score the ball and do it at a high level. He defends at a high level at his size so, he's gonna have a long career."

Flagg remained aggressive throughout a rough night from the field for the Duke product, finishing with 10 points on 5-of-21 from the field in 32 minutes. Some of the usual growing pains most NBA rookies go through were on display, including the occasional airball while attempting the average midrange jumper, though Flagg still exhibited plenty of the other attributes that made him the consensus No. 1 pick in last month's draft. Flagg chipped in six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one crucial block that set up Nembhard's late 3-pointer.

Nembhard came out of the gate strong with six points in the first quarter, followed by an impressive 2-pointer at the end of the second quarter. His fingerprints were all over Dallas' third-quarter display, warranting an interview with ESPN moments before the fourth.

"I'm just trying to be aggressive, and I'll do whatever I can to impact winning," Nembhard said on the broadcast. "Play defense, get in transition, get my guys involved. So just trying to play hard, try to get a win today."

Safe to say Nembhard kept his word.

"I think he's a winner," Andrew Nembhard told ESPN during the broadcast. "The guy wants to compete ... you can put him on and off the ball, the guy can play-make and make others around him better."

Nembhard's college teammate Nolan Hickman, who joined Dallas' Summer League roster after going undrafted, didn't see the floor in Thursday's opener.

Bronny James had eight points on 2-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

Nembhard and the Mavericks are back in action Saturday for a date with the San Antonio Spurs at 1 p.m. PST on ESPN.

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