Ryan

Nembhard

The rookie bounced back from a zero-point outing against the Nets recently by logging his third double-double of December. Nembhard led the Mavericks in assists and was one of four on the team to score at least 10 points. He did commit four turnovers, but was otherwise very productive on offense in the high-scoring contest. Nembhard has had a nice rookie season to this point and should continue to improve going forward.

Williams is dealing with a sore right Achilles tendon and will join D’Angelo Russell (illness) on the sidelines for Monday’s game. Ryan Nembhard, who was promoted into the starting lineup two games ago, will be in for a heavy workload. Jaden Hardy’s playing time should increase, but he’s more of a scorer than a playmaker for others.

Williams is a late addition to the injury report, so he’s in danger of sitting out Monday’s tilt with Utah. With D’Angelo Russell (illness) also sidelined, Dallas’ backcourt will be sorely shorthanded. Ryan Nembhard could be in for a hefty workload.

D’Lo is a late addition to the injury report, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of taking the court on Friday. He has averaged just 15.5 minutes across his last four outings, and if he is unable to go, Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams would presumably absorb his vacated minutes.

Flagg finished Saturday’s victory with a complete stat line, and his fantasy value continues to improve after a slow start to his rookie campaign. Over the past two weeks, the forward has provided fourth-round value in eight- and nine-cat formats. In addition to him getting more comfortable, Flagg has seemingly benefited from some solidity at the point guard position, with fellow rookie Ryan Nembhard (11/1/7/1 with one three-pointer) making the job his own recently.

How Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd chooses to handle his point guard rotation has been unpredictable for most of this season. However, he may have found his answer in Nembhard. After dishing out ten assists in Monday’s win over the Nuggets, the rookie established a new season-high with 13 on Wednesday, and he only committed one turnover. In four starts, Nembhard has 30 assists and five turnovers. While Brandon Williams (7/2/2 in 14 minutes) and D’Angelo Russell (10/3/2 with two three-pointers in 15 minutes) played rotation minutes off the bench, Nembhard logged 34 as the starter. He’s worth rolling the dice on, especially with the Mavericks having two more games on their Week 7 schedule.

In the third start of his rookie season, Nembhard once again provided the Mavericks with impact on the offensive end. Efficient shooting led the former Gonzaga Bulldog past the 20-point mark and to a new career-high, as he was one of three Mavericks to score at least 24 points on Monday. Additionally, the rookie guard was as impressive as a playmaker — he dished out double-digit assists, leading to the first double-double of his young NBA career. Nembhard is averaging 17.7 points over his three starts and will likely remain in the opening unit for a Mavericks team that has needed quality point guard play.

Williams was bumped to the bench in favor of Ryan Nembhard on Saturday, though Williams played 26 minutes, while Nembhard was on the floor for 21. It’s unclear if that change will stick, but if Williams is unavailable, Nembhard will likely see a bump in minutes, while D’Angelo Russell would likely return to the rotation.

Ryan Nembhard (8/1/3 with two three-pointers) once again served as the starting point guard, but Williams played more minutes. He logged 26 to Nembhard’s 21, with the seven assists being the most in a game for Williams since November 12 against the Pelicans. The perimeter shot remains a work in progress, but Williams is worth keeping an eye on, given how unpredictable the Mavericks’ point guard rotation has been.

Nembhard’s first NBA start didn’t result in a victory, but the Mavericks had to be encouraged by what they saw. The rookie seemed to have a good rapport with Anthony Davis and was efficient in his 23 minutes on the floor. With Nembhard starting, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd called on Brandon Williams (11/2/3/1 with one three-pointer) to take on the backup point guard duties. D’Angelo Russell was the odd man out on Friday, picking up a DNP-CD. However, that could change for Saturday’s game against the Clippers, as Nembhard recently missed five games due to a knee injury.