Mavericks First-Round Pick Struggles in Early FIBA World Cup Action

After a strong Summer League, Sergio De Larrea wasn't quite as strong in FIBA action.

Jun 29, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Masai Ujiri, Dallas Mavericks’ President of Basketball Operations, provides an opening statement during an introductory press conference for new head coach Dusty May at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Mavericks traded up from 30 to 25 in the 2026 NBA Draft to select Sergio De Larrea, a Spanish guard with great playmaking instincts.

With how badly the Mavericks needed to add some youth into the backcourt, De Larrea looks like the prototypical NBA guard, standing at 6'6" barefoot. He'll need to add some weight, but he displayed a lot of promise in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July.

Over four games, De Larrea averaged 8.0 PPG and 8.8 APG, including two monstrous third and fourth games, putting up 12 assists and 14 assists, respectively.

He looked great, and it really excited fans for the future of the organization, and most were disappointed that he ended up not playing in the final game.

Since we're about two months away from the start of the season and six weeks past the Summer League, fans are antsy to watch the newest Mavericks. Luckily for them, FIBA World Cup Qualifiers are underway, giving them a taste of some basketball.

Spain got started on Friday, and unfortunately, it was a rough showing for Sergio De Larrea. He didn't score, putting up no points on 0/1 shooting, two assists, two rebounds, a steal, and three turnovers while being a shockingly low -20 in 11 minutes of playing time.

Spain lost the game to Portugal 95-89, which was led by Travante Williams' 25 points and Neemias Queta's 16 points and 9 rebounds. Leading the way for Spain was Dario Brizulea, who had 19 points and 5 assists.

There is still plenty of basketball to be played in these qualifiers, which will give De Larrea time to adjust, but he's going to have a lot of adjusting to do for NBA play in September. Santi Aldama was supposed to be on Spain's roster, but he's still healing from knee surgery. He should be ready for training camp in a few weeks.

Spain's next game will be on Monday against Greece.

Mavericks' Only Taste of FIBA Action

Sergio De Larrea will be the only Mavericks player participating in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers this summer.

Zaccharie Risacher is focused on getting ready for the season after being traded from Atlanta to Dallas.

It was thought that Tarik Biberovic would play for Turkey, but he was not listed on their roster.

And, as mentioned, Santi Aldama is still recovering from knee surgery in March.

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