Sergio De Larrea’s Summer League ride with the Mavericks has already shown both sides of the rookie experience: the rough edges and the upside. He opened with a quiet stretch on offense, putting up 14 points on 18 shots across his first two games and going 2-10 from three, then flipped the script in his third outing against the Grizzlies with 16 points and 12 assists.
Even before that breakout, Dallas wasn’t treating the early results as a referendum. Summer League coach Joe Boylan framed De Larrea’s minutes as part of a larger evaluation process, one designed to reveal how players respond when the game gets messy.
“ We’re just trying to see how the pieces fit together and a lot of these guys are playing roles that may not be exactly what they’re asked to do in the NBA. And that’s okay,” said Summer League coach Joe Boylan.
“ As a fact-finding mission, we’re getting to see what do guys do under pressure? What do they do when you get down in a game?
It’s great for (coaches). It’s great for the players.
It gives us a chance to learn.”
Boylan also pointed to the 6’7″ Spanish point guard’s size as a real part of the appeal. In his view, De Larrea can function as a lead ball-handler or slide into a secondary playmaking role next to another point guard, giving Dallas some flexibility as it keeps shaping the roster.
That size, though, can cut both ways in this setting. Boylan said taller guards can run into trouble in Summer League because of the pressure they face from smaller, quicker defenders.
“ Summer league can be really difficult for taller guards because you get these athletic pressure guards that try to get under you and he’s a guy who’s kind of wise beyond his years,” he said. “ He showed the alley-oop pass and he’s got some things you just can’t teach.
He handled the pick-and-roll and did a great job of handling some pressure. He’s so poised.
He was a little down on himself about some of the shots, but we don’t want to judge guys on just the results. We want it to be process-oriented.
He took a bunch of great shots. We believe in him.”
After some early uncertainty about whether he would head to the NBA right away or stay overseas for another year, De Larrea has now signed his rookie contract. That means he’ll be with the Mavericks when the season opens in October.
Around the Southwest Division, Cooper Flagg is already getting early buzz as a future Team USA piece. James Baxley-Cross wrote for Dallas Hoops Journal that NBC’s Kurt Helin polled a former Team USA player, and the answer came back with the same certainty: Flagg should be considered a lock for the next Olympic roster, even though that tournament is still two years away.
Bruce Thornton has also made noise in Summer League, this time for the Rockets. William Guillory wrote for The Athletic that Thornton’s start has been so strong that coaches have sometimes worried they couldn’t afford to pull him from the floor.
The bigger question now is how he fits once Houston’s main roster is set. He’s nearly a year older than Reed Shepparad, who is entering a pivotal third season, and his toughness and shot-making could appeal to Ime Udoka.
Houston added Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic to its guard group this summer, but Thornton may still force a difficult decision when lineup choices come around.
In San Antonio, rookie center Tarris Reed Jr. has already won over his Spurs teammates. Tom Orsborn wrote for the San Antonio Express-News that the team began Summer League celebrating every time Reed scored. Ja’Kobi Gillespie described what has made Reed such a quick favorite.
“ He’s a great person,” fellow rookie Ja’Kobi Gillespie said. “ He’s just a good dude to be around.
I think everybody loves him … He’s just a really down-to-earth, cool guy, and he’s really strong in his faith and he let that be known. I feel like a lot of it is he’s just a leader without being super talkative.
It’s just who he is as a person.”
Reed’s impact hasn’t been limited to the locker room vibe. His strength and touch in the low post have stood out too, the same traits that made him a calling card at UConn last season.
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What makes the idea interesting is the kind of player Dallas would be chasing in return, since the appeal is less about splash and more about balance, defense and lineup versatility. The obstacle is just as obvious: any deal would depend on Denvers willingness to engage, and there is still plenty of uncertainty around how the Nuggets view Thompsons contract, what they might want in return and whether this stays a trade idea or drifts toward a buyout-type outcome. [Read more 🡒]
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The memory Grimes brought up traces back to a December 2022 meeting with New York, when Doncic delivered a performance that left a lasting mark on everyone involved. It also carried a little extra meaning for Grimes, who later shared a locker room with Doncic in Dallas before both players were moved on in February 2025, a reminder of how fast the league can turn even familiar faces into part of the opposition again. [Read more 🡒]