‘Share The Ball’: Sergio de Larrea Leans Into Playmaking As Dusty May Says Rookie Looks Like Rotation Player

DALLAS — Rookie Sergio de Larrea looks like a rotation player, Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said after practice Sunday. The 25th overall pick averaged 10.0 points and 5.3 assists through Dallas’ first three preseason games.

De Larrea had 11 points and 6 assists in his preseason debut against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9, making all three of his 3-point attempts. Two days later, he had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals on 3-of-7 shooting in Dallas’ 132-115 win over Houston.

Sergio de Larrea On Passing And Floor Vision

De Larrea said Dallas has good shooters and good defenders, so he looks to pass to the best player possible and find the best solution. He described building that chemistry as a day-by-day process in practice.

“Probably the passing, floor vision, I think that’s what I can bring to the team,” de Larrea said. “Probably that’s also what can help the team to win, to share the ball, to put the ball on the main guys, and that’s part of my job.”

In July, de Larrea broke the franchise Summer League assists record in back-to-back games. He had 12 assists against Memphis and then 14 in a 97-87 win over Oklahoma City.

Competing for a rotation spot as a rookie has not changed how de Larrea plans to play. The Dallas backcourt includes Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, and Marcus Sasser.

“I would say probably because my point is to help the team,” de Larrea explained. “I don’t want to, let’s say, showcase my abilities a lot and try to not be a good team player.”

“I’m not selfish, so I think this is why I have to be as unselfish as best as I can,” de Larrea continued. “I try to pass, try to share, try to make the team play, and that’s probably one of the reasons that they drafted me.”

Translating his offseason shooting work to the regular season is the next step for de Larrea. He took 7 shots in the Oct. 11 win and made 3.

“Probably shooting. I think we’ve been working a lot on the shooting, the shooting form, the efficiency in the shots, and I think that’s probably a good precision, but I think to keep translating this to the regular season,” de Larrea said.

Dusty May Sees de Larrea As A Rotation Option

After the Oct. 14 game, May said de Larrea was making a case for the regular-season rotation. De Larrea finished plus-34 in the Oct. 11 win, the best mark of anyone on either team.

“He looks like a guy that could play in the rotation and contribute to winning,” May said, “and definitely feels as though everyone plays a little bit better when he’s on the floor because of his passing and playmaking.”

Houston has different players with different skills, de Larrea said, and Dallas had to try to guard every one of them in Macao. The Rockets and Mavericks split the two games.

“First, they are a very tough team. We had to fight every possession against them,” de Larrea said. “We had to be aware of their players. They have different players, different skills, so we had to try to guard every skill, then be ourselves, try to run, try to protect the defensive rebound, and that’s probably the key for winning.”

Dallas visits Houston on Wednesday, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Center. The Mavericks open their home schedule Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs.