Cooper Flagg didn't disappoint in his much anticipated NBA Summer League debut. But he wasn't the most dominating performer either inside the Thomas and Mack Center.

That title belonged to a unheralded Mavericks player. One who grabbed the spotlight and handled the scoring load for Dallas.

Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers helped headline the Thursday night battle with Flagg. Then Flagg set the tone with his fast break dunk.

But Ryan Nembhard rose as the top rookie performer in Las Vegas. He dropped 21 points with five assists and grabbed two rebounds to end the evening. He made eight of 14 shots from field goal range.

Nembhard and Flagg even went coast-to-coast in the fourth — the top picked swatting the rejection and Nembhard nailing the three.

Nembhard still out-performed Flagg scoring wise. With the latter settling for 10 points in his summer league debut.

Who is Ryan Nembhard? Why did Mavericks rookie drop in draft?

Houston Cougars guard L.J. Cryer (4) dribbles the ball against Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) during the second half at Intrust Bank Arena.
Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images
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Nembhard had a difficult time with his draft process compared to the heralded Duke star. NBA teams sent scouts and front office personnel to watch Flagg throughout the season. Nembhard endured a harder time getting a blip on the league radar.

He came to the league with experience from the Big East — having started with Creighton. The guard eventually transferred to Gonzaga. He thrived as a scorer in the Pacific Northwest. But his area of expertise became passing.

“Nembhard is an old-school floor general. He thrives orchestrating the offense’s tempo and is outstanding in the pick-and-roll game, both as a facilitator and scorer,” his draft analysis stated.

Yet why did he fall out of the draft? His scouting report detailed this flaw.

“His lack of size could limit his upside,” the review shared.

He went from dishing out 9.8 assists per game to dropping 21 on the Lakers, though. Nembhard didn't even deliver a single 20-point night last season with Gonzaga. But he grabbed the spotlight from the main attraction on Dallas.

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