Exclusive: Sergio De Larrea is ready to help solve Mavericks' point guard problem

Last season, the Dallas Mavericks' point guard rotation was one of their biggest weaknesses. Dallas knew they would be without Kyrie Irving for an extended time, and potentially the entire season, as he recovered from an ACL tear that he suffered in March of 2025. Even with this in mind, the Mavericks decided to roll with D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams, and Ryan Nembhard as their three point guards.

The Mavericks had a real point guard problem last season

For reference on how things went, none of these players are on the roster anymore. The Mavericks traded Russell to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline, Nembhard to the Atlanta Hawks last week, and Williams remains a free agent despite having the best season of his career for Dallas last season.

The Mavs didn't have enough shot creation, positional size, or shooting in the backcourt, and their poor guard play is among the many reasons they lost 56 games in a season that was once expected to be promising.

Sergio De Larrea could be the reliable point guard Dallas has missed

A year later, Mavericks rookie Sergio De Larrea is ready to help fill the void. The 6-foot-6 Spanish guard put together several solid performances during Summer League earlier this month, and he showed that he has the tools to play point guard in the NBA.

De Larrea opened up about the opportunity to play point guard for Dallas in an exclusive interview with The Smoking Cuban in Las Vegas during the early days of Summer League, and he's prepared for whatever role the Mavs assign him.

"Try to share the ball, make the team work, and some experience from Europe that I have playing pro there," De Larrea told The Smoking Cuban when asked about what he wants to bring to the point guard position in Dallas.

De Larrea displayed each of these qualities during his four Summer League appearances, as he averaged 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and just 3.0 turnovers per game. For reference on how elite his assist-to-turnover ratio was (2.93), Keaton Wagler, the first point guard taken in the 2026 NBA Draft, posted a 1.22 for the LA Clippers.

De Larrea averaged the most assists per game at Summer League, and his passing was easily the best part of his game in Las Vegas.

De Larrea's passing will help him form a deadly duo with Johnson Jr.

He is beyond his years in terms of feel, IQ, and playmaking, and he should be a solid floor general on day one. His alley-oops were one of the best parts of his game from Summer League, and one player he particularly showed strong chemistry with was Morez Johnson Jr.

Johnson Jr. was drafted by the Mavericks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft as well, and De Larrea already feels a connection with his fellow rookie.

"It's really good," De Larrea said when asked about his chemistry with Johnson Jr. "He's really good, on the court, outside the court...He's a great player, a good short-roll player. For me, it's very easy to pass to him because he's gonna finish well and he's gonna score. So, I think we have to build this chemistry together, and that happened the first game, and let's see the next game we can keep building this chemistry."

In the two games that they played together, De Larrea and Johnson Jr. were clearly on the same page. De Larrea has great touch when throwing lobs or float passes, and Johnson Jr.'s ability to rise up and finish above the rim, or catch the ball in the paint, take a dribble, and score is strong, and they'll likely connect for several highlight plays during their rookie seasons.

Why De Larrea is in position to play right away

De Larrea makes the right play over and over again, and Johnson Jr. is an elite play finisher. The two rookies are made to play together, and Dallas did an excellent job of drafting two players in the first round who have complementary playstyles.

Both Johnson Jr. and De Larrea are poised to have significant roles as rookies, and De Larrea will have the chance to be the team's backup point guard behind Irving. The Mavericks haven't added many point guards this offseason, and traded away a player who started 27 games last season in Nembhard, meaning that De Larrea already has a path to getting minutes as a rookie.

Point guard seems like the easiest route for him to play right away, but if his shooting flourishes, he can easily play off-ball as well. De Larrea shot 43.6 percent from beyond the arc over his final two seasons for Valencia in Liga ACB, and he wants to be the most versatile player he can be.

"Try to be in as much as positions as I can play," De Larrea said when asked what he sees his role being in the NBA. "Let's see in the future I can play more positions, and this is gonna be for me to be a better player and be more versatile."

He'll likely get the chance to play alongside other guards, while also leading the offense, and he has the tools to play either role.

It'll be up to De Larrea to seize the opportunity, but if Summer League proved anything, it's that he's prepared to play some lead guard in the NBA. Irving is still going to run the show, but the Mavericks have a great backup option waiting to learn from him before potentially taking over as the team's full-time point guard one day.

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