The Mavericks acquired the rights to Sergio de Larrea in a trade during last month’s draft. The Spanish guard showcased his top-tier passing skills in Summer League action, averaging 8.8 assists per game (vs. 3.0 turnovers), but he also struggled with his shot in a small sample size, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic.

“He’s come in from day one with a great understanding of who he is,” said Summer League coach Joe Boylan. “The lob passing. The creative passing. Going behind the back, through the legs. I think that’s kind of who he is. The guy has played professional basketball at a high level already. I think he’s going to bring that to any game he plays. If he was at Lifetime Fitness, I think he’d be throwing those passes.”

Whether or not de Larrea can be a rotation player as a rookie may depend on how he quickly can shore up some of his improvement areas, Clark notes.

“He knows some of the things he has to work on,” Boylan said. “Dealing with the physicality. Shooting the ball from deep range. Those will be points of emphasis we continue to work on in the summertime.”

We have more on the Mavericks:

• De Larrea said he’s looking forward to learning from star guard Kyrie Irving, as Austin Veazey of SI.com relays. “Above all, about leadership, how he leads the team in his area of the game,” De Larrea told Toni Canyameras of Mundo Deportivo (Twitter video link). “He’s a great leader, not just as a player, but as a person. I want to learn how he does those things in such a complicated and competitive environment.” The quote was translated from Spanish to English.
• Irving, Marcus Sasser and De Larrea are the three point guards Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com lists on his early depth chart prediction. The center spot looks somewhat crowded, with Morez Johnson Jr. Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Moussa Cisse all under contract, though Lively’s injury history means depth at the position is vital. Dallas is also facing a minor roster crunch, with 16 players currently signed to standard contracts, Sefko notes.
• The Mavs will play a pair of preseason games against Houston in Macao before returning home to Dallas, the team confirmed in a press release. The games in Macao will take place on October 9 and Oct. 11. Dallas will host New Orleans on Oct. 14 before wrapping up its preseason schedule on Oct. 16 vs. Atlanta.