Pistons’ Cade Cunningham gives Ryan Nembhard his flowers before the Mavericks game

When two incredibly skilled players go head-to-head, the excitement is sure to be high. All eyes are on Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham and Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg in front Thursday night match at the American Airlines Center, but there’s another young talent in the building who deserves some more recognition. Ryan Nembhard answers the Mavs’ burning questions at point guard and gives them a much-needed spark.

Despite going undrafted last summer, the former Gonzaga standout and NCAA assists leader is quickly found a home for himself in Dallas. He scored 28 points in a Dec. 1 road win against the Denver Nuggets and has three double-doubles this month. While it initially appeared the Mavericks would languish near the bottom of the Western Conference until Kyrie Irving returns from a torn ACL, Nembhardt is making sure they at least stay within striking distance of the NBA playoff picture.

The 5-foot-10 native of Aurora, Ontario, Canada is a pretty underdog story to many, but Cunningham already knew what the crafty playmaker was capable of. They played together at Montverde Academy, a prestigious college prep school based in Florida, preparing for a long and successful NBA career.

Cunningham has already arrived, earning All-NBA Third Team honors last season and leading Detroit to the best record in the East through 26 games this season. Nevertheless, Nembhard has a great influence on himself. Ex he has good memories the latter, and is pleased to see what he is doing in the Association.

Number 2 recalls before the Pistons and Mavs showdown

“Most importantly, he has a great feel for the game,” Cade Cunningham told reporters, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “Great instincts, knows where people are. He just has great awareness of where the bodies are on the floor and is able to make plays around it. He’s quick, has a great handle and his jump shot has improved a lot.”

“We knew he was going to be special, honestly. The only thing was he was small, smaller than his brother[IndianaPacers’AndrewNembhardt}ButbecauseofhisfeelforthegameandhisworkethictherewasnodoubthewasgoingtofindawaytoplayatahighlevelHejustdiditalotfasterIthinkweexpected”

Mavs Cade Cunningham guard Ryan Nembhard, who was also his high school teammate at Monteverde Academy:

“There was doubt that he would find his way to high-level basketball. He just did it a lot faster than we expected.”

(via @MikeACurtis2) pic.twitter.com/0C3KhdvFTk

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 18, 2025

Montverde Academy brings in a number of impressive prospects, but not all of them will explode into stardom. Some will fade into the background and others like Nembhard take the road less traveled to achieve success. He’s making executives around the league regret not selecting him in the 2025 NBA Draft. Cunningham will try to humiliate him once again.

“I busted him, man,” the Keystone Pistons joked recalling their past one-on-one battles. “It’s crazy, the amount of work we’ve put in, like how far we’ve come… Now we’re going to play against each other. I’m excited.”

Dallas (10-17) is up 5-3 after Nembhard got a minute. Detroit (21-5) drives a four-game winning streak. Who will catch the momentum on Tuesday night? Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM ET.