Irving’s Mavericks, surrendered to Sergio de Larrea: “You don’t see many point guards like that”

Forgotten the tantrum of Luka Doncicin Dallas they are like a kid with new shoes back to school. He is the new teacher with the arrival of NCAA champion Dusty May on the bench, the second year of child prodigy Cooper Flagg and the return of the mentor Kyrie Irvingbut also one of the new ones in the class, Sergio de Larrea. After the long duel, Doncic’s legacy begins to be noticed, as the rookie became a fan of the Mavericks as a child because of the Wonder Boy.

“We are similar in height,” said De Larrea about how he became an admirer of the former Real Madrid player at Media Day in Dallas. “We are not fast and small point guards who can dribble a lot. That was the reason why I looked at Luka. I saw him when he was young and played for Real Madrid,” Larry stressed.

Although comparing him to the Slovenian is unfair due to all the pressure that it places on the Valladolid native, De Larrea also does special things. Things that are also rarely seen.

“He is a super tall point guard whose priority is passing,” said Santi Aldama, introducing the new guy in the class as a good friend and compatriot. “You don’t see many point guards with that priority who are so tall, who have such good court vision and are always willing to do whatever is necessary to help the team,” added the Canary Islander about the 1.96 point guard. 20 years.

Aldama made a statement more than a presentation when asked to speak about De Larrea. But the Valencia youth squad needs little introduction, or at least not for the most basketball enthusiasts who enjoyed the Summer League. There Larry got tired of throwing sweets alley-oop into the air like the child who throws stones into the lake without stopping. He learned from Doncic’s trade but also from people at home.

“Ricky Rubio José Calderón and also Sergio Rodríguez,” De Larrea said when asked about the several tiny Spanish ball wizards that he remembers in the NBA. “I’m taller than them,” the Valladolid native added with a laugh.

“I try to learn a little about everything to be the most complete player possible,” also said the number 25 in the draft, initially selected by the Lakers, then later traded to the New York Knicks and ending up with the Dallas Mavericks. The Texas team is preparing to start the preseason and debut in this imminent 2026/2027 campaign in Houston against the Rockets Kevin Durant.

De Larrea is a sponge but his greatest mirror in his first year in the NBA will be Kyrie Irving. The Spanish international aspires to be the first option from the bench to rest the star, who will be a valuable source of wisdom for the former Valencia player in the role of base and reference for the team.

“He is a leader,” the Spanish point guard highlighted about the star of 33 years old, coming off a blank season in which he was recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. “He is trying to teach what he has done so far, he is trying to teach the new kids and it is perfect to have him to learn and make my game grow,” Larry also said about the NBA champion with the Cavaliers of LeBron James in 2016.

For the first time, Dallas will put the best manager in the NBA and the one who aspires to be the most complete player on the court together with the couple that Irving himself and Cooper Flagg, Rookie of the Year last year.

“I want to learn from everyone, not just Cooper and Kyrie, from everyone,” said De Larrea, who will have competition in the outside rotation as Marcus Sasser and Max Christiemore of a shooter but to whom Dusty May could also give base responsibilities according to the coach himself.

After the dismissal of Jason Kidd Dallas opted for May, a 49-year-old coach who has no experience in the NBA but who arrives with the reputation of a magnificent communicator and strategist after leading the Michigan Wolverines from Aday Mara to the NCAA title in April. During the Media Day, the coach placed emphasis on having a team with versatile players capable of adapting to different types of games.

This Mavericks roster is something of a fusion of two eras. The squad has pieces from that team led by Doncic that reached the 2024 NBA Finals such as Irving and essential complementary actors such as Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and PJ Washington plus Cooper Flagg as the leader of a group of young people that also has the number 9 in the draft Morez Johnson Jr.

In the case of De Larrea, Dallas has a natural talent with a gift for making others better with his prodigious passing ability. One that in the NBA can be enhanced even more according to Aldama.

“Playing with him has always been fun and I think that, once he gets used to the NBA game, he will do even better because the court is bigger and there are better threats, so he will simply choose his spots and which teammates are free and he will make the right choice every time,” highlighted the 25-year-old power forward, who will live his sixth season in the American league and his first outside of Memphis after this summer’s transfer.

The physique will probably be one of the great challenges for Sergio de Larrea, who will have to work on his body to gain strength and be able to finish in the mismatch the ones you enjoy when teams change blocks to give you less time and space to think and pass.

Even so, the aspect of the NBA rhythm will be one to which the Valladolid native adapts more easily after having soaked in the philosophy of Pedro Martinez in Valencia.

“At Valencia we used to play this hard and fast, I’m a little used to it. It’s probably faster here, but I’m comfortable with that style of play, with many possessions. I try to shoot the best shot in the first eight seconds, so I’m very comfortable with that,” explained Sergio de Larrea.

The Valencia youth player will have a great advisor in Aldama, although another of the virtues of the Valladolid native is his advanced maturity as the interior of Las Palmas remembers.

“The rookie year is hard. I will try to help him, but he is a professional,” Aldama highlights about De Larrea, the intriguing gifted student from Luka Doncic that is exciting in Dallas.