Why Ryan Nembhard’s 23 Assists Should Be Celebrated

On April 12th against the Chicago Bulls, Ryan Nembhard penned a love letter to basketball.

The end of the NBA season is always hectic. We see crazy stat lines, career highs from plumbers and stars taking it easy before the playoffs. But something about that game against the Bulls felt incredibly intentional. Nembhard, the second-shortest player in the NBA, wanted to prove a point. On a two-way contract to start the year, Nemby has earned every cent of his two-year guaranteed deal that was inked in the middle of the season.

Notching a whopping 23 assists, not a single second of the 38 minutes he spent on the floor was wasted. It’ll be remembered as one of the great Mavericks rookie performances for many reasons.

Why Ryan Nembhard’s 23 Assists Should Be Celebrated

Everybody Loves an Underdog

It might seem strange to call last season’s NCAA assist leader an underdog. However, college and the NBA are two very different worlds. At 5’11”, the only shorter player in the league is Chicago Bulls guard Yuki Kawamura. Undersized guards are a forgotten thing in the NBA. But instead of making Nembhard a novelty, his height is a complete non-factor.

Nembhard’s natural basketball IQ and spectacular guard play make you completely forget about his stature. Mixing grace and tenacity, he always seems able to shred apart a defense whenever the Mavs give him time. He averaged 5.3 assists on the season, and his 316 total dimes were only matched by fellow Mavericks standout Cooper Flagg. From undrafted and undersized to rookie assist king, Nembhard’s 23 are the most by any player this season. Bonkers. How can you not root for this guy?

Nembhard is a Throwback PG

The position of point guard and the role of point guard have strayed from each other over time. Chris Paul retired this year, and the likes of Rajon Rondo and Ricky Rubio have already faded into obscurity. But Ryan Nembhard is the torch-bearer for the true point guard.

He preaches from the same book that the all-time great facilitators quoted every night on the hardwood. Shades of John Stockton, Maurice Cheeks and Steve Nash. High assists, low turnovers, and strong efficiency. Developing alongside the remarkable talents of Cooper Flagg, we could see a pairing as potent as Stockton and Karl Malone. It won’t be long until Nembhard is your favorite point guard’s favorite point guard.

He Showed Out In Front of the Right Guy

One of the best aspects of Nembhard’s 23-assist showing is who he did it in front of. Head coach Jason Kidd, as many will know, is one of the greatest guards to ever step onto an NBA court. Kidd himself was once a rookie dropping dimes for the Mavericks, and he saw Nembhard eclipse several of the records he set in his first Mavs tenure.

23 assists usurps Kidd’s 17, the previous record for a Mavericks rookie and a feat that stood for 31 years. Nembhard also trumped another record last night: the most assists by a Maverick in regulation (20, also set by Kidd). But one milestone Nembhard still has to chase is Kidd’s 25 assists in a 1996 double-overtime outing against the Utah Jazz. It remains the single-game assists record for any Dallas Maverick.