The Dallas Mavericks traded up to draft Sergio De Larrea with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft earlier this summer, and the team's depth chart makes his path to a role clearer than expected.
Despite fans' pleas for the team to add much more playmaking in free agency or via the trade market, they stood pat with their trio of point guards.
The Mavericks' guard room is thin
Dallas' only true point guards behind Kyrie Irving are De Larrea and Marcus Sasser, and with Sasser playing a career-low 12.0 minutes per game last season for the Detroit Pistons, De Larrea is in a great spot to earn a role as a rookie.
His path to a role was paved before he even played a game for Dallas, and training camp and preseason should give fans a much better idea of whether De Larrea or Sasser will be the first point guard off the bench.
The Mavericks are not in a rush to contend, as they are taking a future-focused approach as they look to put a contender around Cooper Flagg. The team is much younger this season compared to last, and this couldn't be a better system for De Larrea to learn.
Sergio De Larrea is a strong shooter and passer
Before getting drafted, De Larrea was playing for Valencia in Spain. He averaged 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game in his final season in the Liga ACB while shooting 40.7 percent from downtown on 3.3 attempts per game. His playmaking and 3-point shooting were the two strongest parts of his game, and the Mavericks will need both of those things from him next season.
Dallas ranked 26th in the NBA in 3-point percentage (34.4 percent) and 22nd in assists per game (25.3) last season. They clearly needed help in both areas after winning just 26 games, and De Larrea will help fix both of those issues.
His 3-point shooting off the catch is strong, and this was on display during the Mavs' first training camp practice on Saturday. He was in a shooting group with Kyrie Irving and Sasser at the end of practice, and his jumper looked excellent. His shooting should allow him to play on and off the ball as a rookie, and this will give him even more of a reason for Dusty May to play him.
Before even playing a game, De Larrea looks like one of the best passers on the team. He led NBA Summer League with 8.8 assists per game, and his passing out of the pick-and-roll, vision in the open floor, and alley-oop passing were all highlights of his game.
Larry has the basketball IQ needed to run the offense, even as a rookie, and he should become even more reliable in this role as he continues to get adjusted to the physicality and speed of the NBA.
Mavericks fans can't wait to see the young point guard take the floor, and due to how Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz built the roster, De Larrea is poised to be part of the rotation immediately.
