Could Mavs Rookie Force His Way Into Dusty May's Rotation?

DALLAS - Every NBA preview list eventually reaches the Mavericks and the obvious choices write themselves.

Cooper Flagg is the reigning Rookie of the Year entering a season with All-NBA expectations attached. Kyrie Irving returns after 18 months away from a torn ACL. A new front office and a first-time head coach have rebuilt the roster from the ground up.

John Hollinger skipped all of it.

Writing for The Athletic's list of 30 reasons to be excited for the season, one for each team, Hollinger landed on the rookie guard nobody outside Dallas is talking about.

READ MORE: Dirk Nowitzki Speaks Out On Mavericks Hiring Of Masai Ujiri: 'Excited About The Future'

"Cooper Flagg is the main event in Dallas and Kyrie Irving's recovery from a torn ACL will be a major story," Hollinger wrote. "But as far as pure fun goes, I'm not sure I can do better for Mavs fans than getting their eyes on Sergio de Larrea, a spicy-passing Spaniard who I believe was one of the steals of the draft and someone I'm guessing will crack the rotation immediately."

He also noted the broader shift in the roster's composition.

"Among him, import sharpshooter Tarik Biberović, French forward Zaccharie Risacher and Spanish big man Santi Aldama, the post-Luka Mavs have some newfound international flair."

The prediction about de Larrea cracking the rotation immediately is the part worth examining, because the situation in Dallas makes it plausible rather than optimistic.

The Mavericks carry three guards. Irving returns from a torn ACL at 34 years old. Marcus Sasser arrives from Detroit without having held down a consistent rotation spot. De Larrea is the third. That is thin for an 82-game season featuring an NBA-high 16 back-to-backs and it means minutes will be available whether the coaching staff plans for them or not.

What separates de Larrea from most rookies is that he is not actually new to professional basketball. He joined Valencia's system in 2021, coming up through the club's U-18 program before making the jump to the senior team in 2023 at age 17. From there, he competed in the ACB and EuroLeague against grown men, making his EuroLeague debut as a teenager and going on to win a league title, claim Spanish Supercup MVP honors and earn Liga ACB Best Young Player.

That experience shows up in how he plays. De Larrea does not rush, does not force and reads defenses with a patience that most 20-year-olds simply do not have. At 6-foot-6, he sees over the top of coverages and delivers passes into windows that smaller guards never spot.

Las Vegas offered the first extended look for Mavericks fans. De Larrea led Summer League in assists per game, capped by a 14-assist performance against Oklahoma City that put his vision on full display. He also shot better than 40% from 3-point range at Valencia last season, which matters for a team that finished 26th in the NBA from deep.

There will be adjustments. His two appearances for Spain in World Cup qualifying last month produced five turnovers across 22 minutes, a reminder that he is still growing into larger roles. The bounce-back performance against Greece, where he went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, was the more encouraging sample.

READ MORE: Sergio de Larrea World Cup Showing Exposes Thin Mavs Backcourt

Hollinger calls it "The Sergio Show". Whether it becomes appointment viewing depends on how quickly Dusty May trusts him and the roster construction suggests that answer arrives sooner than expected.