DALLAS — Sergio de Larrea’s draft rights changed hands before he ever played for the team that picked him. The Los Angeles Lakers took him 25th overall on June 23. The next day, the Dallas Mavericks acquired him in a four-team trade that also involved the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns.
Then he went back to work in Spain. De Larrea helped Valencia Basket beat Barcelona in the Liga ACB Finals for the championship. He was named the league’s Best Young Player and made the All-ACB Young Players Team for the second straight season. A year earlier, he had been MVP of the Spanish Supercup after scoring 21 points in the final against Real Madrid.
He signed with Dallas on July 3 and wears No. 55. At Summer League in Las Vegas, he had 16 points and 12 assists in a win over Memphis and 14 assists in a win over Oklahoma City, and he averaged 8.8 assists in four games.
On Monday, the third day of training camp, de Larrea stayed on the floor after practice to work with lead assistant Willie Green. The work is on the two things he wants to be more efficient at.
“Just working on a lot of things, some adjustments to the game. We are trying to be more efficient in the shooting and also finishing, so that’s what we are working on,” de Larrea said.
Sergio de Larrea On NBA Spacing, Pace, And Pull-Ups
There is more open space in the middle of an NBA floor than in Europe, according to de Larrea. The centers there will block his shot.
“I mean, it’s different. The court is bigger, but also the bodies are bigger. But let’s say maybe there’s more space in the paint compared to Europe. But here, otherwise, there’s empty space in the middle, [but] the centers are going to block your shot,” de Larrea explained. “And so in that it’s kind of different to Europe, but more or less the spaces are pretty similar in terms of, like, shooting, and finishing is very close too.”
Kyrie Irving, who shared a shooting group with de Larrea on the first day of camp, said guards 6-2 and under are going to get up underneath the rookie. De Larrea is still adjusting to NBA players picking him up full court.
“It’s a challenge that I’m working on here, to adjust to that kind of style of play,” de Larrea said. “And just getting in the gym, getting on the court, having some reps to know each body and how to try to find the spaces with these bodies.”
Small defenders tried to get up under him at Summer League. He has worked on his ball handling against every kind of matchup since.
“As I say, it’s a process. We are working on all this stuff, playing against small guards, big guards, big centers, small centers, everything, to try to find my game against these kinds of players and try to also add more skills to my package,” de Larrea said.
The pull-up is one of those skills. It shows up coming off screens and in the pick-and-roll.
“Let’s say off the screen, also pick-and-roll, trying to find the advantage to have different things to do when I’m playing pick-and-roll,” de Larrea said. “And that’s the pull-up, to find the pull-up against big centers.”
Mavericks coach Dusty May wants Dallas to play fast. Valencia was the fastest team in the Spanish league last season, according to de Larrea, and the NBA pace is a little higher.
“I think it’s pretty good. I think last year in Europe, in Valencia, we were the fastest team in the league. I think this is helping me to adjust here,” de Larrea said. “For sure, the pace is a little bit higher, for sure. But it’s been more or less easy, let’s say, to adapt to the game and to try to play as fast as possible and get the fastest shots possible and the best shots possible.”
The target at Valencia was a shot in the first eight seconds of the possession. De Larrea said at media day Friday that he is comfortable with that style.
“I think it fits very well. Last year in Valencia, we used to play like that fast. So I think I’m a little bit used to it. Probably here it’s faster,” de Larrea said. “But I’m comfortable playing that style of game, trying to play fast, a lot of possessions, trying to [get] the best shot possible, but at the end in the first eight seconds. So I’m very, very comfortable with that.”
Sergio de Larrea On Passing, Lobs, And Dallas’ Big Men
The passing goes back to how he was taught as a kid. He did drills and workouts built around finding the best pass possible, and he has pushed that skill higher every year.
“I think since I was young, that’s what people used to teach me, to pass the ball, to shoot the ball,” de Larrea said. “And then we had a lot of drills and workouts when I was young to try to find these [lanes], to try to find the best pass possible. And then year by year, I tried to increase that level in this skill of the game.”
His passing can find the open three or the big man, he said Friday. It can also get the ball to whoever is having a great night.
“I think it can help to put the ball on, for sure, the wide-open three or the long person. But also trying to put the ball on the people that have to have the ball, or that are in a good moment, or are having a great night,” de Larrea said. “So I think my passing skills can help in this, to also win some games.”
Schmitz said in August that de Larrea’s lob passing stood out in Las Vegas. He also said Dallas would keep evaluating his role through camp and into the season.
On Monday, de Larrea ran through a drill with Tyson Chandler, the former Mavericks center who is back this season in a player development role, and most of Dallas’ big men. They are working on specific plays and on building a connection. Asked whether that includes throwing lobs, de Larrea quickly answered, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Growing up in Spain, de Larrea tried to model his game after three Spanish point guards, including Ricky Rubio, José Calderon, and Sergio Rodríguez.
“Ricky, José, also Sergio Rodríguez. These three guys were, when I was young, I tried to be like them,” de Larrea said Friday. “I try to take a little bit of everything to try to have the most complete package, so they were very important for me when I was younger, right now too.”
Sergio de Larrea On Santi Aldama, Kyrie Irving, And Dusty May
Santi Aldama and de Larrea have played together on Spain’s national team for three years. Aldama, who has been limited in camp six months after a knee procedure, is helping him with the transition.
“It’s amazing to have him here. It’s helping me with the process. As we said, we are friends. We play together on the national team,” de Larrea said. “We know each other, and I think we also have good chemistry. So it’s perfect for me to have him here to learn and to share some experience with him.”
Aldama is a very good shooter, de Larrea said Friday, and he expects to find him in spot-up situations the way he did with Spain.
Irving has been teaching the new players what he has learned over his 15 NBA seasons, according to de Larrea. At media day, de Larrea called Irving the perfect player to learn from.
“He’s a leader, and he is trying to teach what he has done until now, this 15 or 16 seasons that he has been in the NBA,” de Larrea said. “So he tried to teach this to the new guys, to all the guys that are there. And it’s perfect to have him to learn and to try to develop my game in that way.”
Irving heard about it. When told of the praise Saturday, he joked that he had paid the rookie $1,000.
“He’s a high-IQ player already. He’s a winner, comes from a winning franchise overseas, and you can tell that he’s thirsty for knowledge, and that’s what you want in a young guy,” Irving said.
May brings energy all the time, according to de Larrea, and shares what he knows with everyone on the roster.
“I think he’s very good. He’s an energy guy. He’s bringing energy all the time. He’s also sharing knowledge of the game, sharing [with the vets] some experience, some learning,” de Larrea said. “It’s great to have him here. He’s trying to teach everything that he has, for me and for all the team. I think we are all very grateful for that.”
De Larrea has faced Cooper Flagg before. Spain lost to a U.S. team featuring Flagg in the final of the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup. A year later, de Larrea won gold with Spain at the U19 World Cup.
His first summer in Dallas included another World Cup. Spain beat France 2-0 in the semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on July 14 while de Larrea was at Summer League. He watched Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the July 19 final surrounded by Argentina fans.
Dallas has been very hot, but very good, he said Monday. He wants to learn more about the city once the weather cools. The Mavericks play the Houston Rockets on Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao.
