Fans got their first glimpse of the Summer League pairing of Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea at the team's first practice.
The Dallas Mavericks' Summer League team conducted its first practice in Dallas on Monday, and the team's social media account blessed fans with an early glimpse of the rookie pairing of first-rounders Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea.
The clip circulating most around the internet is De Larrea breaking down his defender from the perimeter with a series of hesitation dribbles, followed by a pass rocketed to Johnson on the wing. The No. 9 overall pick nailed the 3-pointer as the duo high-fived.
The clip has nearly half a million views in under 24 hours since its upload, growing the excitement around this pairing and their potential in the NBA this season.
Johnson was not known as a perimeter shooter in his time at Michigan last season, but a smooth looking stroke and the familiarity that comes with playing under his college coach, Dusty May, could spark confidence in the rookie forward.
The Spaniard De Larrea just made it to the United States, and after attending Spain's win over Portugal in the FIFA World Cup at AT&T Stadium, has shown right away that he will bring much-needed playmaking to the Mavs backcourt.
Dallas begins its Summer League schedule on Thursday, July 9, in Las Vegas. That can't come soon enough for Johnson.
"I think I’m NBA ready," he said. "I think I can impact the game."
The 6-9 forward was an athletic freak in college, regularly wreaking havoc rebuilding on both ends of the floor and running the floor as a big-body transition threat. Those traits will fit in seamlessly next to reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg to form a young pair that Dallas hopes to build around.
"I think I have to bring that to play my best," the self-proclaimed "junkyard dog" Johnson said about his skills on defense. "So, I’m definitely going to be playing the same."
Like the formula was at Michigan, May is comfortable using Johnson in a variety of ways on the court. That versatility will only improve as his offensive game begins to expand.
"I think I do have an advantage compared to other guys that’s just getting here this week, because I’m very familiar with it, I know what it is and I know what [May] wants out of it," Johnson said about his relationship with the new coach.
"[I’m] just getting a feel for all my teammates, the people I’m playing with in the summer league, and helping them learn the concepts that Dusty’s putting in and helping those guys and make it easy for them.
"I’m not overwhelmed at all. It’s pretty simple. [May] just wants us to make reads and react off each other."
Under the tutelage of Kyrie Irving, De Larrea also flashes promise as a building block and conductor of the Mavs offense, which May has said wants to rank near the top of the NBA in assists and pace.
Although Irving is a future Hall of Famer in his own right, De Larrea finds inspiration in a former Mavs superstar, Irving's backcourt teammate from Dallas' NBA Finals run in 2024, Luka Doncic.
"I saw Luka when he came from [Real] Madrid to here," De Larrea said. "He was, for me, like my idol in my younger era. For that reason, I was a Maverick a long time ago, and right now I'm still being a Maverick."
"He's able to score the ball, he can pressure the other team, he can facilitate. He can do a little bit of everything," May said to CBS Sports about De Larrea. "He has a high, high ceiling."
Fans have already begun to notice their European-bred similarities and compare their play styles. If Dallas can get anything out of De Larrea that's close to resembling Doncic, the Mavs will be in good hands.
May added: "I had a friend who played with him overseas the year before this reach out and thought he was the steal of the draft."
