Mavericks Rookie Makes Honest Admission About Luka Dončić

The Dallas Mavericks maneuvered around the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft to end up selecting Sergio De Larrea with the 25th overall pick, using the 30th pick and two future second-round picks to do so.

It's an intriguing swing on a prospect. Despite the influx of European talent into the NBA recently, he was the first European selected in this draft.

At 6'7", he's a great three-point shooter and playmaker, consistently making smart passes off a screen. He turns it over a lot and is poor from the midrange, but his game is awfully reminiscent (just nowhere near as dominant) of former Maverick Luka Doncic.

It just so happens that De Larrea grew up rooting for the Mavericks in large part because of Doncic, modeling his game after the now Los Angeles Lakers star.

“I saw Luka when he came from Madrid to here,” De Larrea said on Monday ahead of the NBA Summer League. “He was for me, like, my idol in my younger era. For that reason, I was a Maverick fan a long time ago.”

Mavericks rookie Sergio De Larrea has long been a Mavs fan.

His inspiration? Luka Dončić

De Larrea after practice today on Dončić:

“He was for me, like, my idol in my younger era. For that reason, I was a Maverick fan a long time ago.” #MFFL

(🎥: @dallasmavs) pic.twitter.com/EPC3XTHDJj
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) July 6, 2026

De Larrea probably went through the same heartbreak that Mavericks fans went through at the 2025 trade deadline when Nico Harrison shockingly traded Doncic in the middle of the night to the Lakers. There was no warning, just a tweet from Shams Charania that everyone thought was fake.

The Mavericks hope De Larrea can be the long-term answer in their backcourt, as Kyrie Irving isn't getting any younger, and no one else in that room feels like they could be a building block.

What to Watch at Summer League for Sergio De Larrea

The NBA Summer League circuit will start for the Mavericks on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors at 6 p.m. CST. That will put two former Michigan Wolverines against each other, as Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Landeborg will face off.

What should we watch for De Larrea in these Summer League games, though?

First, it'll be interesting to see how he's used. Many think he'll be a better shooting guard right now because of his size and shooting, but his previous ball-handling experience will have him operating as a point guard in a lot of lineups.

Do they roll him out in lineups with Ryan Nembhard mostly? Or are they going to let him handle playmaking against better athletes who are trying to prove themselves and make the NBA?

How they use him will be the first sign of things to come in the regular season.

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