Sergio De Larrea's confidence proves he's no ordinary Mavericks rookie

While Sergio De Larrea had an excellent preseason for the Dallas Mavericks, no one expected him to have such a prolific performance in his first real minutes against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. De Larrea's confidence is what is setting him apart from many other rookies in his class, as he was Dallas' best player against one of the best defensive backcourts in the team's home opener.

De Larrea played only eight combined minutes in Dallas' first two contests, as Kyrie Irving, Marcus Sasser, and Naji Marshall took most of the point-guard minutes, and rightfully so. However, De Larrea proved he should be integrated into Dusty May's rotation on a nightly basis, as he has a great feel for the game offensively in the half court, and isn't afraid to back down from any challenge.

Sergio De Larrea's confidence is taking him to another level early on

He scored 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from outside on Saturday night, as he played an inside-out game that left San Antonio's defense guessing all night long. He's shown a very reliable floater game at 6-foot-6, as he has great touch in the in-between game and can bank in floaters off the wrong foot from either side of the basket.

Being a player who lacks elite athleticism, these are the types of advantages De Larrea has to forge if he wants to be an effective offensive player at this point in his career. That being said, taking and making these types of shots is uncanny for a skinny young rookie from overseas, as he clearly isn't afraid of the moment or stage he's at.

De Larrea has proven he needs to be in Dallas' rotation going forward

He doesn't come across as the most outspoken guy in the room, but it's clear he's a silent killer based on what we've seen so far. Between him and Sasser, Dallas' lack of shot creation and playmaking behind Irving is becoming less concerning game by game, and De Larrea is versatile enough to play with either Sasser or Irving in certain lineups.

The biggest question mark coming into this season was whether De Larrea's outside shot was going to translate, but he's gone 11-for-17 from outside through preseason and three regular games so far. While such an efficient clip is unrealistic to expect going forward, a player doesn't shoot that well without a lack of confidence, and De Larrea doesn't hesitate whatsoever when he gets an open opportunity from outside, or the defense goes under him on a screen.

While De Larrea isn't going to get 33 minutes every game with Irving in the lineup, the rookie is proving early that Dallas found a hidden gem at pick 25. De Larrea is the only rookie guard besides Darius Acuff Jr. to have scored over 20 points so far this season, and while he's not going to be in a featured role every game, there's no doubt his confidence is taking him far beyond initial expectations that anyone had for him coming into this season.

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