Sergio De Larrea gave Mavericks fans a much cleaner snapshot of his shooting on Monday than he did in Summer League.
The rookie point guard’s first stretch in Las Vegas had people talking for the wrong reason. He opened Summer League by going 1-for-9 from deep, and the next three games didn’t do much to quiet the noise. By the end of the event, he was hitting just 20 percent from 3-point range, which made his jumper look like the obvious concern after a showcase where his passing and feel stood out more than his scoring.
That reaction felt a little early for the 20-year-old Spaniard, and his performance for Spain in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers backed that up. In a two-point loss to Greece, De Larrea went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc after being held scoreless in the previous game against Portugal.
One of those makes came from the corner while he was getting fouled. All three threes were assisted, and he looked comfortable letting it fly off the catch.
For Dallas, that matters. The Mavericks shot 34.4 percent from three last season, which ranked 26th in the NBA, and only two players on the 15-man roster shot better than 40 percent from deep. That lack of perimeter punch was part of why the offense finished No. 27 in the league.
De Larrea is still going to spend time at point guard, especially with Dallas lacking depth there, but his size and shooting give him a path to playing off the ball too. His set shot looks smooth, and if Monday’s game is any indication, he can help space the floor in a way the Mavericks badly need.
The passing piece already looks real. He showed strong chemistry with Dallas’ bigs in Las Vegas, and his alley-oop delivery should fit well next to Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
Still, the shot is the swing skill. If De Larrea can bring the kind of efficiency he showed against Greece into his rookie year, he has a chance to carve out a real role. He may not be a burner or a self-creator yet, but if the jumper holds, he can be a useful rotation piece right away.
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