Mavericks' second-round hidden gem isn't who most fans expected

The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is officially underway, and the Dallas Mavericks had an exciting first game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. Even though it ended in a loss, there were many things for Mavs fans to get excited about. While first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr. stole the show, the Mavericks found a hidden gem they might not have been expecting in their 56th overall pick, Vsevolod Ishchenko.

Vsevolod Ishchenko outshined Tobi Lawal

As the Mavericks move towards building around Cooper Flagg with young talent, they made four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, including two in the second round. The first pick they made in the second round was Tobi Lawal with the No. 48 pick, an athletic freak from Virginia Tech who has already signed a two-way contract with the Mavs. Dallas later traded back into the second round, taking Ishchenko out of Russia with the 56th overall pick.

While Lawal has already been signed to a two-way contract and seemed like the player from the second round that Mavs fans would be most excited about in Summer League beforehand, it was Ishchenko who showed he belongs in the NBA. Lawal showed off his elite athleticism, especially with a huge put-back dunk in the second half, but Ishchenko had a productive overall outing on both ends of the floor, showcasing his potential to all watching.

Ishchenko's stat line didn't stand out, with just seven points, three rebounds, and one assist, but it's the things that don't show up in the stat sheet that prove he had a productive game. The eye test backed him up with flying colors.

The 6-foot-8 guard from Russia played with confidence, was aggressive with the ball in his hands, and held his own on the defensive end. Even though Lawal started over him, Ishchenko ended up playing more than double the number of minutes, showing that the coaching staff quickly trusted him — especially when they were trying to come back.

Masai Ujiri may have found another steal in the draft

As many Mavericks fans know by now, the new president of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri, is known as an elite talent evaluator, finding hidden gems in drafts such as Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. While Vsevolod Ishchenko may not live up to the careers of those two, if he even becomes a rotation player in the NBA, that's more than worth a flier at the tail end of the draft, which is where he was selected.

Coming from the VTB United League in Russia, the 21-year-old Ishchenko averaged 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Given how young he is, there is so much room to develop his already polished talent, and the best part of his game in the Russian league was that he shot over 50 percent from the field and over 46 percent from three. He plays the game with the right level of assertiveness and confidence, and his size can easily translate to the NBA.

Yes, Ishchenko is a project, and it is just one Summer League game in which he didn't even have a great stat line. But Vsevolod Ishchenko put his name in the NBA Draft for a reason, and we already saw a glimpse of why. While he might not even end up playing this year for the Mavericks, given that he hasn't signed a contract yet, don't be surprised to see him playing meaningful NBA minutes sooner rather than later.

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