LAS VEGAS — In the long run, the Dallas Mavericks Summer season League staff put the ball within the arms of their greatest participant, the incoming rookie they trusted most, and trusted him to make the play.
The sold-out crowd packed into the Thomas and Mack Middle for the marquee occasion of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer season League received to see lots within the No. 1 general decide’s skilled debut.
They noticed the six-foot-nine Duke star play level guard. They noticed him wrestle at occasions to create offence in opposition to NBA-adjacent defenders — former Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder prospect Darius Bazley used his spidery six-foot-eight body, quickness and 5 years of NBA expertise to provide the 18-year-old Flagg some issues.
Flagg might have been exaggerating when he described his first stay motion since dropping the nationwide championship ultimate with Duke again in April as “one of many worst video games in my life”, however then once more, possibly not. Flagg actually didn’t put up any 5-of-21 taking pictures strains when he was dominating school basketball final season, and certain not in highschool both.
However he was nonetheless a part of the profitable second within the Mavericks’ 87-85 victory over Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was Flagg’s block on Lakers guard DJ Steward that ignited the quick break with 69 seconds left and completed with Flagg twisting and turning to get the ball to Ryan Nembhard, who was the most effective Mavericks rookie on the night time.
The purpose guard from Aurora, Ont., stepped into the shot confidently and knocked down what proved to be the game-winning three. It got here only a few possessions after Nembhard hit a jumper in isolation over (briefly) former Raptor Cole Swider, pulling Dallas inside one with 1:46 to play.
They had been the signature moments for a scintillating begin to what he hopes will likely be an extended stint with the Mavericks, who signed the previous Gonzaga star to a two-way deal after Nembhard and his representatives requested groups within the backside third of the second spherical to not draft him, having focused Dallas as his most well-liked vacation spot.
That it was Nembhard, the undrafted free agent, who was the Mavericks’ greatest participant Thursday night time, not Flagg, the superstar-to-be who had been tagged because the No. 1 general decide for 18 months or extra, wasn’t all that shocking.
Summer season League is its personal animal, filled with hard-to-predict turns. Flagg was rusty, and Nembhard is rattling good, contemporary off a record-setting season for Gonzaga. He has already proven that his listed peak (six ft in footwear) wasn’t an impediment as he pulled his method up from the G-League mix to the common NBA mix and onto groups’ draft boards within the area of some weeks. No level in placing limits on him now.
“He speaks for himself (along with his sport),” stated Mavericks Summer season League head coach Josh Broghamer. “Usually you need to get your smallest man out of there on the finish of video games to get a cease … however we would like him in there as a result of he’s powerful, he’s good, he’s going to make the proper play, he’s gonna combat … in the event you watch all of the occasions he’s boxing out greater dudes, they’re falling down and he’s not.
“Simply an unimaginable sport from him.”
Flagg wasn’t dangerous both, even when he struggled considerably offensively, which was comprehensible given how lengthy it’s been since he’s performed in a aggressive atmosphere and that the Mavericks had been giving him giant doses of level guard duties, which in flip uncovered him to bodily, full-court defence from quite a few defenders.
Regardless of his excessive shot totals, he compelled little or no. He flashed his athleticism when he made a steal and went full court docket for a contested dunk for his first bucket. He solely made one turnover. He didn’t get drawn into the group’s power when a change discovered him matched up with James (eight factors on 2-of-8 taking pictures) within the half court docket the primary time. As a substitute, he made a rapid learn and located his huge man within the dunker’s spot, which in flip led to an open Mavericks look from three. Moments later, he gave the group (effectively, apart from the massive swaths of Lakers followers in attendance) what they wished when he ended a one-on-one battle within the publish with James by rising up and drilling a turnaround over the smaller defender.
After which there was his key block and help on the game-winning bucket. As ‘worst video games’ go, it was fairly good, truly. Given he doesn’t flip 19 till November, likelihood is he’ll regulate accordingly. Perhaps by the weekend.
“I imply, I used to be excited. I used to be clearly slightly nervous, and that is a brand new atmosphere, you recognize, numerous new followers and whatnot,” Flagg stated. “So I used to be slightly nervous, slightly excited, however simply completely satisfied to be right here. I imply, that is a dream come true. So I am simply attempting to get pleasure from simply attempting to benefit from the second.
“It is only a completely different sport, completely different spacing, you recognize, completely different guys. Lots of guys are in several components of their careers, coming from completely different angles, completely different, you recognize, components of their lives. So it is simply attempting to mesh that each one collectively, you recognize, work out what works and what would not …”
He doesn’t should work very exhausting to mesh with Nembhard, or vice versa. Unselfish gamers who ooze excessive basketball IQ normally get alongside simply fantastic on the ground.
“He’s tremendous enjoyable to play with, tremendous unselfish man,” Nembhard stated of Flagg. “All he desires to do is win; he guards 5 positions. He scores the ball rather well. Clearly, it wasn’t his night time tonight, however the gravity he has on the market helps different guys get attractiveness. So he is an excellent expertise and has been enjoyable to play with.
Ditto, stated Flagg, principally: “Ryan’s nice. He is a terrific participant. He has such a terrific really feel for the sport. So I really like enjoying with him. It has been a enjoyable couple of weeks.”
They might find yourself enjoying numerous basketball collectively. All indications are that the Mavericks are very excessive on their Canadian level guard, and never simply because former Canadian males’s nationwide staff head coach Jay Triano is on their teaching workers now.
However with star level guard Kyrie Irving seemingly out for the season with a knee damage, the Mavericks’ choices get fairly slim on the place after DeAngelo Russell, who was signed as a free agent as a placeholder till Irving will get wholesome. The Mavericks are loaded with bigs who put stress on the rim and shooters who unfold the ground. Nembhard’s means to interrupt down defences and scatter the ball with the most effective of them — he set convention and college data in assists in his senior school season — mixed along with his defensive grit, may give him an opportunity to make his mark.
Which is all he needs or wants.
“I simply wished to go to the proper match,” he stated of his resolution to decide on the Mavericks among the many a number of groups that had been providing him two-way offers (an association that permits groups to shuffle a prospect from the G-League to the first staff with out utilizing a roster spot). “When you get later in that draft, it is a bunch of two methods (affords). So that you need to go to the proper spot … I simply really feel like I’ve the flexibility to come back in right here and have a chance to affect profitable. And I really feel like if I get a chance, that is all I want. I will determine it out as soon as I get there.”
In teaming up with Flagg for a win of their respective skilled debuts, Nembhard couldn’t have made the purpose any clearer.
