Vsevolod Ishchenko didn’t arrive in Dallas with much fanfare, but he left a real mark Monday night in Las Vegas.
The 6-foot-8 wing, taken 56th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft and acquired by the Mavericks for cash considerations, spent much of the night on Cameron Boozer and helped hold the No. 3 overall pick to 7-of-17 shooting in Dallas’ 96-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Thomas & Mack Center.
The move to get Ishchenko was a low-risk one for Dallas. The Mavericks sent cash to the Los Angeles Lakers for his draft rights after the pick had already changed hands multiple times.
The Lakers had first sent cash to the Chicago Bulls to get the selection, then moved Ishchenko’s rights to Dallas for cash as well. For a player with the kind of upside he flashed in the VTB United League, it was the kind of swing that can pay off quietly.
With Morez Johnson Jr. out because of calf soreness, Ishchenko drew the bulk of the assignment on Boozer, who came into the game as the reigning Naismith and Wooden Award winner after a freshman year at Duke that included averages of 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. On paper, it looked like a rough spot for Ishchenko. Boozer checked in at 253 pounds, while Ishchenko had spent three seasons with Lokomotiv Kuban without ever dealing with NBA-level size or physicality.
But Ishchenko handled it well enough to tilt the matchup. He finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks, and his impact went well beyond the box score.
He made Boozer work for clean looks at the rim and forced him into tougher shots than he had seen in his first three games in Vegas. Boozer still scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, but he was only 3-of-5 from the free-throw line and committed 3 turnovers, a less efficient night than the ones that preceded it after he had comfortably topped 20 points in each of his previous two games.
"You just fight him and fight him for the whole game," said Mavericks coach Joe Boylan, pointing to Ishchenko's size, activity and instincts as the reasons the assignment worked. "Like most defenders, it starts with a mentality. Are you willing to put your body on the line against a bigger, maybe stronger guy?"
Ishchenko’s reputation in Russia suggested Dallas had reason to bet on him. He was a VTB United League All-Star and Young Player of the Year, shot 50.6% from the field and 46.1% from three in 43 games for Lokomotiv Kuban, and won back-to-back VTB Youth League MVP honors before his senior debut in September 2024.
Monday was his best two-way showing in Vegas, and it offered a clear look at why the Mavericks valued him enough to bring him in for cash.
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