LAS VEGAS — Ultimately, the Dallas Mavericks Summer season League group put the ball within the palms of their greatest participant, the incoming rookie they trusted most, and relied on 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 total decide’s skilled debut.
They noticed the six-foot-nine Duke star play level guard. They noticed him battle at instances 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 present the 18-year-old Flagg some issues.
Flagg might have been exaggerating when he described his first reside motion since shedding the nationwide championship closing with Duke again in April as “one of many worst video games in my life”, however then once more, possibly not. Flagg definitely didn’t put up any 5-of-21 taking pictures strains when he was dominating school basketball final season, and sure not in highschool both.
However he was nonetheless a part of the successful 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 very best Mavericks rookie on the evening.
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 just some possessions after Nembhard hit a jumper in isolation over (briefly) former Raptor Cole Swider, pulling Dallas inside one with 1:46 to play.
They have 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 evening, not Flagg, the superstar-to-be who had been tagged because the No. 1 total decide for 18 months or extra, wasn’t all that shocking.
Summer season League is its personal animal, stuffed with hard-to-predict turns. Flagg was rusty, and Nembhard is rattling good, recent off a record-setting season for Gonzaga. He has already proven that his listed peak (six toes in footwear) wasn’t an impediment as he pulled his means 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 (together with his recreation),” mentioned Mavericks Summer season League head coach Josh Broghamer. “Usually you wish to get your smallest man out of there on the finish of video games to get a cease … however we wish him in there as a result of he’s robust, he’s good, he’s going to make the fitting play, he’s gonna struggle … should you watch all of the instances he’s boxing out larger dudes, they’re falling down and he’s not.
“Simply an unbelievable recreation from him.”
Flagg wasn’t unhealthy both, even when he struggled considerably offensively, which was comprehensible given how lengthy it’s been since he’s performed in a aggressive setting and that the Mavericks have been giving him massive doses of level guard duties, which in flip uncovered him to bodily, full-court defence from a variety of defenders.
Regardless of his excessive shot totals, he compelled little or no. He flashed his athleticism when he made a steal and went full courtroom for a contested dunk for his first bucket. He solely made one turnover. He didn’t get drawn into the gang’s vitality when a change discovered him matched up with James (eight factors on 2-of-8 taking pictures) within the half courtroom the primary time. As an alternative, he made a fast learn and located his large man within the dunker’s spot, which in flip led to an open Mavericks look from three. Moments later, he gave the gang (properly, aside from the large swaths of Lakers followers in attendance) what they needed when he ended a one-on-one battle within the put up 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, really. 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 a little bit nervous, and that is a brand new setting, you recognize, numerous new followers and whatnot,” Flagg mentioned. “So I used to be a little bit nervous, a little bit excited, however simply comfortable 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 totally different recreation, totally different spacing, you recognize, totally different guys. Plenty of guys are in numerous elements of their careers, coming from totally different angles, totally different, you recognize, elements of their lives. So it is simply attempting to mesh that each one collectively, you recognize, determine what works and what would not …”
He doesn’t must work very arduous to mesh with Nembhard, or vice versa. Unselfish gamers who ooze excessive basketball IQ normally get alongside simply superb on the ground.
“He’s tremendous enjoyable to play with, tremendous unselfish man,” Nembhard mentioned of Flagg. “All he desires to do is win; he guards 5 positions. He scores the ball rather well. Clearly, it wasn’t his evening tonight, however the gravity he has on the market helps different guys get beauty. So he is a brilliant expertise and has been enjoyable to play with.
Ditto, mentioned Flagg, principally: “Ryan’s nice. He is an awesome participant. He has such an awesome 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 group head coach Jay Triano is on their teaching employees now.
However with star level guard Kyrie Irving probably out for the season with a knee harm, 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 strain on the rim and shooters who unfold the ground. Nembhard’s means to interrupt down defences and scatter the ball with the very best of them — he set convention and faculty data in assists in his senior school season — mixed together with his defensive grit, might give him an opportunity to make his mark.
Which is all he needs or wants.
“I simply needed to go to the fitting match,” he mentioned of his choice to decide on the Mavericks among the many a number of groups that have been providing him two-way offers (an association that enables groups to shuffle a prospect from the G-League to the first group with out utilizing a roster spot). “When you get later in that draft, it is a bunch of two methods (affords). So that you wish to go to the fitting spot … I simply really feel like I’ve the power to return in right here and have a possibility to affect successful. And I really feel like if I get a possibility, that is all I would like. I am going to 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.
