Sergio De Larrea just proved why his biggest Summer League concern was overblown

During the NBA Summer League, Dallas Mavericks fans began to panic about rookie point guard Sergio De Larrea's 3-point shooting. Despite wowing fans with his passing and feel for the game, his scoring and shooting were not strengths. He started his Summer League with a 1-for-9 performance from beyond the arc, and the three games after that weren't great either.

He shot 20 percent from beyond the 3-point line at Summer League, and Mavs fans began to wonder if he would struggle as a shooter during his rookie season. The strong shooting he displayed while playing for Valencia in Europe was nowhere to be found, and his 3-point shot was his biggest weakness at Summer League.

Dallas shot horribly from long range last season, and for De Larrea to be a seamless fit in the backcourt, they'll need him to knock down open shots.

De Larrea showed off his potential as a shooter for Spain

While the De Larrea concerns from Summer League always seemed a bit premature for the 20-year-old Spaniard, he just proved how effective he can be as a shooter during his game for Spain on Monday. Spain is competing in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, and he stood out in their two-point loss to Greece.

He shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in this game after scoring zero points in the previous game against Portugal, making one of his threes from the corner while getting fouled. De Larrea looked extremely comfortable off the catch, as all three of his threes were assisted. This gave Mavs fans a great look into how Dusty May could utilize him next season.

Why De Larrea's shooting will be crucial during his rookie year

Even though he's naturally going to spend time at point guard due to the Mavericks' lack of depth at that position, his size and shooting make him someone who can play off-ball. His set shot is smooth, and he should be able to provide Dallas with good floor spacing if he can carry that success he had against Greece into his rookie year for the Mavs.

It's already clear that De Larrea is going to be a good passer right away. His chemistry with Dallas' bigs in Las Vegas was strong, and his alley-oop passing will be a great fit next to Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.

Despite this, his shooting is what could determine how big a role that he has as a rookie. The Mavs shot 34.4 percent from three last season, which ranked 26th in the NBA. They only had two players on the 15-man roster who shot above 40 percent from three, and their inability to drain open shots was one of the many reasons they had the No. 27-ranked offense in the league.

If De Larrea's game against Greece was a preview of what his rookie season could look like for Dallas, Mavericks fans should be thrilled. He may not wow anyone with his quickness or self-creation yet, but he should be a valuable piece of the rotation if he can be an efficient 3-point shooter.

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