Sergio De Larrea's ugly Mavericks debut was far from a nightmare

On the surface, it may have seemed like Sergio De Larrea had a disastrous Summer League debut for the Dallas Mavericks. He shot 3-of-14 from the field and 1-of-9 from three after 3-point shooting was marketed as one of his top skills following being drafted last month. This was not the debut Mavs fans expected from the No. 25 overall pick, and his shooting numbers looked ugly. Many were quick to criticize the young rookie, but they need to look at the bigger picture.

There's nothing to be concerned about. His all-around impact was evident.

Sergio De Larrea's debut stretches far beyond the stat sheet

You have to look deeper than the stat sheet to understand the 20-year-old rookie's impact against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, and if anything, Mavericks fans should be excited about his performance.

He finished with nine points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block, and just one turnover in 29 minutes. A 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio is excellent, especially in his first game of the Summer League, and his playmaking was one of the many bright spots for him in this game.

He already has good chemistry with Morez Johnson Jr., and his passing out of the pick-and-roll looks solid. De Larrea made the right reads over and over again, and while his handle needs some work, the passing and IQ are definitely there.

De Larrea did the little things that translate to winning

Summer League is all about not looking overwhelmed and making the right play, and De Larrea did both of those things. He didn't back down on either end of the floor, and while his shot wasn't efficient from three, he wasn't scared to shoot. The confidence is there, and that's an extremely positive sign.

He also moved well off the ball with some timely cuts and looked comfortable in his role. De Larrea wasn't Dallas' primary ball handler, as Ryan Nembhard ran the show for the most part, but his passing and feel should help him project as a good secondary creator.

On the other end of the floor, De Larrea used his length to make a couple of plays as well. He is 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, and his frame should allow him to guard up on some wings in the NBA.

He doesn't have the quickness to keep up with super quick guards, but he always seems to be in the right place and competes. These things are important, as many young players get lost when defending off the ball, but this doesn't seem like a problem for De Larrea.

The young guard displayed the tools needed to be a rotation player next year, and at the very least he can be a connective wing with shooting potential and secondary playmaking chops. He doesn't have to be a point guard right away, and learning from Kyrie Irving and Phil Handy is going to help him significantly.

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