3 Overreactions From Mavericks' Final 2026 NBA Summer League Game Against Knicks

The 2026 NBA Summer League is over for the Dallas Mavericks. They faced the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks on Friday night, which ended in a 110-88 win, leaving the Mavs with a 3-2 record this summer.

Those wanting more Sergio De Larrea passing clinics were quickly disappointed to learn that he wouldn't play in this game. Neither did Morez Johnson Jr. nor Ryan Nembhard.

Without De Larrea, that left the main watchables as John Poulakidas, Tobi Lawal, and Vsevolod Ishchenko. And without De Larrea, there was a clear drop in the impact of players like Darin Green Jr. (he started getting hot in the second half) and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu.

There is only so much one can learn from the final Summer League game, but here's what we took away.

Tyler Smith Will Be Waived Soon

One of the big stories of the Mavericks' Summer League was the lack of Tyler Smith. He was expected to be a major contributor, as he is signed to one of their three two-way spots.

However, showing up late to a film session had him miss the third and fourth games, and he looked entirely uninterested in this game, even if he made a couple of threes and finished with 21 points. He missed an open dunk and had an unnecessary half-court heave turnover in the final minute.

There are plenty of intriguing options the Mavericks can fill this spot with instead, such as Vsevolod Ishchenko, who continued getting more and more comfortable as the summer progressed.

JP drills the AND1 3ball (4pts) pic.twitter.com/BaCBQ4l3He
— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) July 18, 2026

Is John Poulakidas Safe?

John Poulakidas is another one of the players currently on a two-way contract, and the Mavs do need a sniper like him. He was... fine in the Summer League, but he probably shouldn't feel all that comfortable.

This was easily his best game of the summer, as he went 5/7 from three, but Darin Green Jr. was a little more consistent throughout the summer. Poulakidas has already shown that he can do it in the NBA to some extent, so that probably gives him an edge, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Mavs move on.

Seva FULL COURT, behind the back, and SLAMS it! pic.twitter.com/jCCj9dgfoz
— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) July 18, 2026

Vsevolod Ishchenko Continues to Be Highly Intriguing

We've talked a lot this summer about Vsevolod Ishchenko, the 56th overall pick out of Russia. From the beginning, he showed he was willing to do anything and everything, always finding himself around the ball.

Ishchenko found himself handling the ball a lot more in this game with both De Larrea and Nembhard out, and he handled it well, finishing with 15 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 stocks on 5/8 shooting. He did have 5 turnovers, but the vision was there.

The Mavs understand they have a player here, and whether they decide to stash him overseas in a better European league or bring him in on a two-way will be a fascinating decision.

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