Sergio De Larrea

Eddie Sefko

MIAMI – OK, let’s get an honest show of hands from anybody who thought Giannis Antetokounmpo would start 0-3 as a member of the Miami Heat.

The Greek Freak, Bam Adebayo and Klay Thompson all have started the first three games for Miami and the losses have come at home by 25 points against Minnesota, by 17 against Detroit and on the road at Charlotte by five points.

The Heat remain one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference, along with Philadelphia, New York and perhaps a few others. But the sluggish start is a reminder that nobody is immune to a flat start.

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And, by the way, after the Heat entertain the Mavericks on Monday night, they will face six of seven games on the road, mostly against Western Conference competition.

Of course, drawing any judgments after three games is like opening the doorway to foolishness.

Which brings us to the Mavericks’ rookies.

They have two of them that were drafted in the first round of the June draft and everybody wants to over-analyze what Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea have done in the early going.

The observers certainly have gotten some solid opportunities to form opinions, even in just three games.

In De Larrea, the Mavericks got a full package of what the 6-5 Spaniard can do in Saturday’s loss to the Spurs at American Airlines Center. Forced into being the primary ball handler with Kyrie Irving sitting out, De Larrea had a team-best 21 points, hit 9-of-15 shots and nailed three of his four three-point tries.

Suffice it to say that if De Larrea shot like that all the time, there’s no way he would have slipped to the No. 25 pick in the draft. Considering he won’t turn 21 until Dec. 4, De Larrea has oodles of potential and that’s what made him one of the most attractive European players in the draft.

It also speaks highly of the collective eye for talent that General Manager Mike Schmitz and President Masai Ujiri have.

The down side is that De Larrea had four turnovers in his 33 minutes against the Spurs. But Dusty May can probably live with those sorts of growing pains.

“When you think of his growth and development, you factor in how important those reps are for him as he gets stronger and his body adapts to the speed and athleticism of the game — invaluable,” May said of De Larrea in the Spurs’ outing. “Numerous great learning lessons from that.”

Remember, De Larrea had played a total of just eight minutes in the first two games.

As for the rugged, 6-9 Johnson, much higher expectations come with the No. 9 overall pick. He’s started this season working on a minutes restriction as he tries to shake off the lingering issues from a training camp injury.

And he has fought foul trouble. He has picked up 11 personal fouls in his 43 minutes spread over three games.

Again, probably the sort of aggressive growing pains May is OK with.

And it’s probably no surprise that the two rookies are trying to help each other along the way as their NBA journey takes its first footsteps.

“It’s a pleasure to play with him,” De Larrea said of Johnson. “He gives 100 percent every day and brings all the energy to the team. I’m very happy to have him.”

It’s going to be interesting to watch both of them as they become bigger parts of the Mavericks’ framework going forward.

Here’s what else to look for when the Mavericks and Heat tussle:

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Mavericks-Heat preview: Both teams look to turn around disappointing starts

Gabe Flores

Sergio De Larrea led the Mavericks with 21 points in the match-up against the San Antonio Spurs. Sergio also finished with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. DALLAS MAVERICKS on Social Media: ► Follow us X: / dallasmavs ► Like us Facebook: / dallasmavs ► Follow us Instagram: / dallasmavs For more updates check us out on Mavs.com: https://www.mavs.com

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Sergio de Larrea (21 PTS 5 REB) vs. San Antonio Spurs | October 24, 2026

Plenty of things conspired against the Mavericks on Saturday night at their regular-season home opener.

Most distressing was the injury-related absences of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving.

But it was also hard to fathom that the defending Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs would start the season 0-3.

The Mavericks had an impressive start and even held Victor Wembanyama to one point through the first quarter and a half. But the Spurs eventually solved the short-staffed Mavericks and scored a 122-106 victory at American Airlines Center. Both teams left the building with 1-2 records.

The Mavericks got great effort from pretty much everybody who stepped on the court, which is what they needed with many of their heavy lifters sitting this one out.

They rallied in the third quarter from a 77-63 deficit and took a lead at 85-84 when rookie Sergio De Larrea, who was superb in relief of Irving as the primary point guard with 21 points, nailed a baseline jumper.

But the Spurs gathered themselves, went on a 16-6 blitz bridging the third and fourth quarters to go up 100-91 and cruised to the finish line, going up 112-96 with five minutes remaining.

The Spurs rode their young core of Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, each of whom topped 19 points, as did relative graybeard De'Aaron Fox.

The Mavericks’ fade down the stretch might have been predictable, given they were playing the second night of back-to-back games after winning in Indiana 24 hours earlier. But the Spurs also played Friday night, losing in Houston. They opened the season with a home loss to Oklahoma City.

Mostly, the Mavericks just ran out of bodies.

"We competed at a high level," coach Dusty May said. "Credit to those guys. I thought they brought it as well. San Antonio just had a gut-wrenching defeat last night we were watching as we went in the air. I was proud of our guys’ effort. We made it very, very interesting. Ultimately, we just felt like we probably ran out of gas.

“At one point, I felt we kind of had them out of rhythm. They just didn’t look themselves. And I thought the offensive rebounds ignited their run. And that’s the trade-off in the zone. It’s tough to have block-out responsibilities."

The Mavericks were burned by 21 turnovers that the Spurs turned into 26 points. That was unfortunate because when they held onto the ball, they shot it well (51.1 percent). But they only got to the free-throw line eight times.

The brightest spot was De Larrea. He led six Mavericks' in double figures and spent a lot of time on the court with Marcus Sasser as the Mavericks tried to go smaller against the Spurs' bigger backcourt.

"I thought he was great," May said of de Larrea. "In hindsight, I wish we could have gotten to a point where he could have gotten catches and not have to initiate the offense and (face) Castle’s pressure. I thought he was great. His defense is improving, he was chasing down long rebounds. Overall, just a really, really good game by a young player by one of the best defensive backcourts."

And playing him with Sasser, essentially giving the Mavericks two point guards on the floor, worked out well.

"The best scenario for us is to have multiple handlers," May said. "Some lineups, there’s give and take. You match size and it seemed like every time we tried to go small against the bigger lineups, they just countered and went small with us.

But this was a great opportunity for him (De Larrea). He didn’t get the same in Indiana for obvious reasons with Coop and Kyrie getting those minutes. But he’s certainly earned more and more trust. He’s played like this pretty consistently."

The 6-5 Spaniard said he was surprised to be the Mavericks' primary scorer.

When told that he didn't seem surprised to pile up 21 points, De Larrea said: "Yes I am. I am, for sure. This is my first time scoring these points. The last two games, it was different. The team looked for me as I look for them."

And, with no Flagg or Irving, there were shots to go around for everybody.

To illustrate how shorthanded they were, they had more players on the injury report (10) than not (eight).

Among those who were ruled out besides Irving and Flagg: Caleb Martin, Tarik Biberovic, Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively II.

Others on the report, but who were cleared for at least some action: Morez Johnson Jr., Jett Howard, Max Christie and Zaccharie Risacher. The last two were in the starting lineup.

May said that sitting Irving on the second night of back-to-back games was a decision based on common sense.

“It was more: he was ready to play at Indiana,” he said. “Let’s play that and not make any decisions in advance. Let’s just take this one day at a time and plan accordingly.”

Asked if Irving (who is on a minutes restriction when he does play) might be cleared to play both ends of back-to-back games later in the season, May said: “There’s certainly a chance, yes.”

Meanwhile, Flagg’s injury is of greater concern. He took a hard foul from Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith on a breakaway layup try in the second quarter of Friday’s game. The foul ignited a dust-up among several players, but the only real consequence was Flagg having an MRI on Saturday that revealed a left shoulder sprain.

He wasn’t ruled out until about two hours before tipoff, so it remains to be seen if Flagg will be sidelined for more than just Saturday’s game. The team issued a statement saying he will be re-evaluated in the coming week. The Mavericks visit Miami on Monday, then open a three-game homestand Wednesday against Oklahoma City.

It’s all just a part of the NBA, though not anybody’s favorite part.

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With stars sidelined, Mavericks fade late in loss to Spurs

Sergio De Larrea scored 10 points and dished out 6 assists in the preseason match-up against the New Orleans Pelicans. DALLAS MAVERICKS on Social Media: ► Follow us X: / dallasmavs ► Like us Facebook: / dallasmavs ► Follow us Instagram: / dallasmavs For more updates check us out on Mavs.com: https://www.mavs.com

sergio-de-larrea-10-pts-6-ast-vs-new-orleans-pelicans-preseason-october-14-2026

Sergio De Larrea (10 PTS 6 AST) vs. New Orleans Pelicans | Preseason | October 14, 2026

While NBA preseason games can put a strain on the eyes when several of a team’s key players are on the sideline, that doesn’t mean there aren’t compelling plotlines.

Sergio de Larrea proved as much during the Mavericks’ 101-97 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night in the preseason home opener at American Airlines Center.

Fans were expecting Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg, but both sat out the game for extra rest time to recover from the trip to China, where the Mavericks played their first two preseason games.

So the rookie guard de Larrea took on the job of supplying the entertainment as he tries to improve his station on the Mavericks’ roster.

For de Larrea, it’s a matter of proving that he deserves the backup point-guard minutes behind Irving. And that’s something the 20-year-old Spaniard seems to be gaining ground on.

“He’s making a case to be in the rotation,” coach Dusty May said. “I don’t know when we’ll settle into a starting lineup or if we will. We could see a different lineup each and every night depending on who’s healthy and the combinations that play best together. But he’s certainly earning more and more trust day by day.”

A prime example of that trust came late in the second quarter when de Larrea was put in a tough spot, up against the shot clock, and the ball in his hands on the right wing. He dribbled out of trouble and slipped a pass inside to Moussa Cisse for an uncontested dunk. It was one of four first-half assists for de Larrea.

He finished with 10 points, six assists and even flashed some three-point savvy with a couple of long-distance buckets in the second half. He also had five of the Mavericks' 27 turnovers, some of which can be easily corrected when they are playing with a full deck of players.

The 6-5 de Larrea said that the athleticism and pressure of NBA defenses is something that will require him to adjust.

"The pressure, ball pressure, we are practicing to learn as fast as possible," he said. "I want to try to help the team to win, to do things in the best way possible. I’m very happy with the rotations and everything. If I play more, if I play less, my job is to help the team win.

"We’re going to play fast to try to create advantages in the first seconds (of the shot clock)."

And, with that, there will be some turnovers. But that's common for the preseason and often early in the regular season. The shooting helped cover up some of the mistakes, by the way.

"He’s shot it very well in games and scrimmages," May said of de Larrea. "The turnovers, that’s partly us not giving him enough help and not having enough playmakers and ballhandlers on the court with him at all times. But he’s a very, very confident player. He makes his teammates better. We’re very, very pleased with his progression so far."

Early in the second half, de Larrea cut through the lane and flipped a pass behind the closing defense for Tobi Lawal, who flushed the dunk.

“It’s definitely growing,” Tobi Lawal said of the chemistry that is taking root on the team, partly because of de Larrea. “They understand I’m going to cut. So throw it up there I’m going to try to dunk it. I’m just trying to make everybody’s job easier and do the dirty work.

"He (de Larrea) makes everyone on the floor better. He sees the whole floor being a tall guard."

The Mavericks were without Irving, Flagg and Daniel Gafford — 60 percent of their starting lineup — as all three were given a rest game.

They were joined on the sideline by Dereck Lively II (foot surgery recovery), Morez Johnson Jr. (right shin splints), Marcus Sasser (left adductor), Santi Aldama (knee surgery recovery) and Jett Howard (illness). May said he’s hopeful that a few of those in the infirmary could return on Friday against Atlanta.

At the very least, that preseason finale at AAC likely will look a little more like a dress rehearsal for next Wednesday’s regular-season opener.

“I’d say possibly Friday night we might be closer to that, once the medical staff tells us who should go and who we should rest,” May said. “It’s obviously not ideal to have this many guys out. But hopefully on Friday we’ll be more in game form.”

The missing pieces hopefully had a hand in a really rough night of ballhandling for the Mavericks. Given the massive amount of turnovers, it's hard to believe they almost had a chance to tie it at the buzzer. They were down 100-97 and Seth Lundy was fouled on a three-point try with a second left. But the Pelicans challenged it and the call was reversed.

In spite of the injuries and subsequent choppy moments in the preseason, May said he’s been encouraged by how well things have progressed during training camp and through the first three preseason games.

But he fully knows that the season hasn’t even reached its embryonic stage, yet.

“You have to go through some things really before you have a good barometer of how tight-knit a group is,” May said. “This looks to be a very close group. During practice, there’s some great dialogue. We certainly feel great about our locker room right now.

“(But) until we go through some things and show that we can battle some adversity and stay connected, we won’t really know for sure. But that was probably the best part of the Macao trip is to see our guys spend as much time as they did together.”

Tough decisions ahead: May was asked if Dwight Powell — working on a non-guaranteed veteran contract — is forcing his way onto the final roster with the way he’s played so far in the preseason.

“Those questions I can’t answer,” May said. “Those are decisions those guys make based on information they get from the staff and their eyes.

“Dwight has been very valuable so far to us. It’s evident when he’s on the floor that we function well. So yeah, it’s been a joy to get to know him and be around him. I try to stay out of that fray. But Dwight’s been very, very good for us.”

As for May’s input on the matter, he said: “Of course I’ll have an opinion on everything we do. As far as how much that sways . . . in any great working relationship, we have a big staff and they all give their opinion. But it still comes down to the decision-makers making decisions.”

One of Powell's biggest supporters was the coach on the opposing bench Wednesday. Jamahl Mosley was an assistant coach for the Mavericks from 2014-21 and grew fond of Powell's skillset when he was in Dallas.

“He’s always on time, always the first one in the gym. Trying to be the last one out. He was a perfectionist when it comes to that,” Mosley said. “He’s just such a phenomenal teammate and more importantly, a great human being. His work ethic was second to none in so many ways.

“And I think he represented what it meant to be a Dallas Maverick for a long time. And you can talk to any of his teammates that came through here that have been gone, Dwight is one that you want to have in the foxhole with you.”

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Rookie de Larrea builds his strong case for court time in preseason loss

Dwain Price

The bad news is that the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Houston Rockets, 135-117, on Friday in the China Global Games 2026. The good news is that it was ONLY a preseason game.

Playing over 8,000 miles away from Dallas in Macao, China, the Rockets built a massive 25-point lead late in the first half and went on to secure the victory in this preseason opener for both teams at the Venetian Arena.

Cooper Flagg only played in the first half and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes for the Mavs. Naji Marshall and Max Christie, who ignited a surge by the Mavs in the third quarter, added 16 points and 14 points, respectively.

In addition, the Mavs got 13 points from Tobi Lawal and 11 from Sergio de Larrea. Lawal was 5-of-6 from the field in just 15 minutes, and de Larrea converted all three of his three-point attempts and also dispensed six assists, while Dwight Powell distributed a team-high eight assists in just 13 minutes.

Alperen Şengün registered a triple-double — 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists — to pace the Rockets. Also for Houston, Tari Eason collected 20 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet had 17 points and seven assists, Reed Sheppard tallied 16 points, Kevin Durant scored 15 points, Jabari Smith Jr. popped in 12 points and Bruce Thornton tacked on 11 points.

Flagg was 7-of-14 from the field and looked very sharp as he negotiated his way around the court.

“Obviously, it’s a different experience, a different opportunity to travel all the way over here and get adjusted to the time and everything, but I felt good,” he said. “Obviously, the crowd, they were really into the game and very loud, so it gave us a lot of energy. I thought it was a very, very fun experience and a great experience.”

The Mavs played without Kyrie Irving, P. J. Washington, Dereck Lively II and Caleb Martin — four players who were in their rotation last season when they were healthy. Irving, who hasn’t played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on March 3, 2025, is expected to play Sunday when the Mavs face the Rockets at 5 a.m. Dallas time.

“Conditioning is going great,” Irving said. “I feel great. Going through the rigors of the contact and being in this combative sport. Really testing out where I really am.

“I feel like I’m still unlocking things in my instincts. Practices do wonders. But the game can’t be re-created. I’m excited to get out there and play in front of these great fans here and continue to have a great preseason.”

Irving is particularly looking forward to play alongside Flagg for the first time. Flagg is the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year, and on Friday he picked up where he left off last season.

“He just has a confidence that he carries everywhere he goes,” Irving said. “He was a rookie coming in putting up stats that only Michael Jordan was reaching. I’m looking forward to growing with him and seeing how his development happens over the next few years.”

Flagg said he anticipates playing in Sunday’s game and seeing how he and Irving can establish some cohesiveness together on the court.

“Whenever it ends up happening, I’m just excited whenever we get to share the court for the first time,” Flagg said. “Obviously, it’s been an incredible training camp, being able to play together and kind of figure that out on the fly.

“It’s been fun and I’m really excited just sharing the court with someone like him and his gravity, and the way he can manipulate the game is obviously going to make my life a lot easier. So, it’s going to be great.”

That plan was obviously put on hold — for at least one game. And that’s likely why at times on Friday the Mavs’ offense didn’t look at crisp as they wanted it to be.

“Once we get more of our core guys back I think we’ll have a much better identity offensively,” May said. “We’re still searching with this group. That was the fun part of this game of having so many lineups that’s never been on the court together, because of a number of reasons.

“Certainly, you always build your offense around your best players, so Cooper and Kyrie are going to be focal to anything that we do.”

The Mavs inched to within 74-64 of the Rockets less than five minutes into the third quarter following a basket by Tarik Biberović. But the Rockets were off and running again and mounted a 97-76 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter and carried a 99-80 advantage into the fourth quarter.

“This is a process for us of just ramping up and getting prepared to play and get ready for the regular season,” Flagg said. “I think obviously the first wind was tough.

“I think everybody was pretty gassed out there for a little bit, but I thought the second wind was pretty good and we got into a good stride.”

Overall, the Mavs were 44-of-94 from the field (47 percent) and 18-of-51 from downtown (35 percent). Meanwhile, the Rockets were 47-of-86 from the floor (55 percent) and 18-of-36 from three-point range (50 percent).

On the Mavs firing up all those three-pointers, Flagg said: “Obviously, we have a different identity and a different culture, and we’re trying to play faster and sharing the ball more. So, I think naturally, we’re going to fall into some more threes and some easier ones, too.

“But I think we also just have a lot of three-point shooters — guys that are comfortable stepping in and knocking shots down.”

The idea that the Mavs attempted just 43 two-pointers and 51 shots just beyond the three-point line is a strategy May doesn’t plan on using on a regular basis.

“We take a lot of pride in taking what the game gives us,” he said. “And with the lineups we had with what we thought the strengths of our players on the court were, we decided to go into a different type of game.

“But also, Houston is a team that, they take away the paint, they play with great activity. They are a ball defense.”

Mavs forward Zaccharie Risacher produced his share of fine moments as he wound up with nine points on 4-of-9 shots, and also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds in 24 minutes.

“I feel like the first game was a good experience being in China,” Risacher said. “It was good to be out there and build chemistry and create some good habits. It was amazing.”

In the meantime, Flagg was able to knife his way through the Rockets’ solid defense almost at will and do what he did last season when he was one of the NBA's best players.

“I thought he played really well tonight,” May said of Flagg. “His activity, his anticipation defensively, and we’re not running much stuff for him right now. We’re playing in the flow. We’re still trying to learn how to play — as far as the play after the play — better.

“But yeah, there’s a responsibility on all of us, because I think any great player, their success is determined by everyone around them. All of us need to be better teammates, to be better players, to be better coaches to contribute to him maximizing his potential. But absolutely, we don’t take it for granted. This is a big responsibility to help him on his evolution in being one of the best.”

The Mavs had 34 assists, but turned the ball over 18 times and were outrebounded 43-38, and they know that must improve in Sunday’s game.

“I thought we settled down,” May said. “In the first half they had us sped up, and when we did get in the paint we shot tough shots over some good, long athletic defenders. I thought in the second half we found the right players, we got to actions quicker, we moved the ball better.

“We want to try to hunt great shots, whether that’s a dunk, whether that’s a back cut layup or if they’re going to collapse and we can’t finish without an angle, then we need to pass it to an open guy, and I thought in the second half especially we did that.”

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Mavs drop preseason opener to Rockets, 135-117

As the Mavericks wrap up summer league, it’s time to look at what we saw and what we learned during the NBA’s biggest offseason event for players.

Remember, while rookies and other hopefuls to make an NBA, G League or foreign team in the coming season were playing in the Summer League, a lot of the league’s proven veterans were attending those games. And while they were in Las Vegas, they were holding some veteran workouts on their own.

It’s an NBA convention. Maybe not on par with All-Star Weekend, but a huge gathering of NBA executives, players, league representatives and agents.

So here’s our key takeaways from the extravaganza:

Change your Rez-ervations: If anybody had concerns about the Mavericks drafting Morez Johnson Jr., you can ditch any of those apprehensions.

The guy they simply call “Rez” had two impactful games to start the summer league, then shut it down the rest of the way. What’s interesting is that the Mavericks surprised a lot of people by drafting Johnson with the No. 9 pick last month.

Many thought they would take whoever was left from the five guards that were expected to go from picks five through nine. But rather than take the fifth of those players, they went with a strong big man who also has a feathery touch.

The 6-11 Johnson can step out to the perimeter if he gets the chance, but his biggest asset is around the rim, especially at the defensive end. He gets offended if people score on him. He tries to block every shot. Succeeds a lot of the time.

The early verdict is that Johnson is going to be a mainstay for the Mavericks, even as a rookie.

Who are the point guards? The play of Sergio De Larrea and Vsevolod Ishchenko should give Mavericks’ fans some level of comfort about who will play behind Kyrie Irving (and perhaps alongside him, at times).

De Larrea proved he can dish the ball with anybody. He has all the passes. If he has enough of the shots to go with those passes, he will be a steal with the 25th pick in June’s draft that they acquired from the LA Lakers.

Ishchenko probably is a bit more of a project, but he showed enough toughness (belying his boyish looks) to show that he can handle NBA physicality.

At the very least, coach Dusty May has options going into training camp at point guard.

What to do with the athleticism? The Mavericks already have Moussa Cisse on a two-way contract. But it’s hard to ignore what former Mesquite Poteet standout Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu brings to the table.

Kao, as he is called for obvious reasons, has been on the radar of general manager Mike Schmitz for years and he did enough in Las Vegas to earn a trip to training camp, unless he gets a better offer from another team.

He was the recipient of a handful of lob passes that he converted into rim-jarring dunks. His vertical leap is legendary, with the ability to touch the top of the backboard on a good day.

And then there’s Tobi Lawal, who was the 48th pick of the draft last month. Like Kao, he can leap with the best of them. He had several notable moments during the summer league.

Flagg looking the part: Cooper Flagg is the Mavericks’ superstar, and he looked fit on top of keeping a low profile. It’s almost like he’s sitting on a secret for the coming season.

We know all about the talent Flagg possesses. He was a worthy rookie of the year. Now, it’s a matter of what he brings in his second season.

The guess here is that he’ll be better at everything – especially with a stronger supporting group around him.

Looking ahead: The biggest unknown as the Mavericks set their sights on training camp in less than two months is Dereck Lively II.

The surgery to fix his foot was a success. But it was complicated enough that he still hasn’t done a lot of heavy work on the foot. The Mavericks are a different team when they have a healthy Lively. It’s going to be an important storyline for them heading into camp.

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Morez Johnson Jr. tops our takeaways from NBA Summer League

LAS VEGAS – Summer league play started very slow for the Dallas Mavericks. But they finished it with a bang.

After losing their first two games in Sin City to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs re-grouped and showed some promising signs while winning their final three games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks. Before players went their separate ways following Friday’s convincing 110-88 victory over the Knicks, the Mavs looked back with fond memories over the summer league’s 3-2 record.

“Our goal was to win, and I think we did it,” center Jorge Diaz Graham said. “We struggled a little bit at the start, but it was normal – it was our first games.

“I feel like once we knew each other a little better we just got so much better and we started having more fun. We just figured out each other, we started knowing who’s doing what and we just played our best basketball at the end.”

Rookie Morez Johnson Jr., the No. 9 overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft, only played the first two games and averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. That includes scoring 27 points, grabbing eight rebounds, making three steals and blocking two shots in the summer league opener against the Warriors.

Ryan Nembhard, undrafted in 2025, also played just the first two games and averaged 13.5 points and eight assists. That includes a 15-point, 11-assist game against the Warriors.

As the summer league progressed, the Mavs picked up steam and players like Sergio De Larrea, Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, John Poulakidas, Darin Green Jr., Vsevolod Ishchenko, Jaden Springer, Tyler Smith, Tobi Lawal and Graham stepped up their games with the increased amount of minutes that came their way.

De Larrea’s finest moment came when he collected nine rebounds and 14 assists during Thursday’s 97-87 win over the Thunder. He also finished with 16 points and 12 assists in the 96-88 win over the Grizzlies.

Both games represented a masterful playmaking performance by De Larrea, who displayed some exceptional passing skills and an uncanny feel for the game.

“I think the next step for him will probably be I think a lot of teams will be so scared of him playing in pick-and-roll against coverage that he’ll face a lot of more switching in the regular season and there will be opportunities for him to create one-on-one and to go finish at the rim and finish contested layups,” summer league coach Joe Boylan said. “I think that’s going to be the next step in his growth. Just the ability to break down his man and go in and finish contested layups.”

Akobundu-Ehiogu’s best game came when he used his amazing leaping abilities to turn five passes near the rim into picturesque alley-oop dunks. Meanwhile, Poulakidas scored 37 points and converted 10-of-19 three-pointers in the final two games against the Thunder and Knicks.

Also, Smith completely turned the game against the Knicks upside down when he nailed four three-pointers in a little over two minutes in the pivotal third quarter. Overall, he scored 21 points and was 6-of-12 from three-point land against the Knicks.

“Early on I didn’t play much,” Smith said. “You’ve got guys in this league that get paid a lot of money to come off the bench and knock down a few shots and come right back out the game. I showed coach that I can do that as well.

“Just showing coach that I can play at this level. Whether it happens or not, just showing him that I can compete at the highest level.”

When he was on the floor with De Larrea, Smith knew there would be more opportunities to get buckets since the rookie from Spain is a pass-first point guard.

“Playing with Sergio, he made it a lot easier on the court,” Smith said. “When you have 14 assists and nine rebounds, there’s not many rebounds out there for me to get when the point guard is out there getting (nine) of them.

“But like we say, we want to play fast. And 14 assists kind of helps me out as well.”

Boylan was particularly pleased with the 6-11 twins – Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham.

“I think their ability to shoot, dribble, pass, bring length to the defensive end, block shots, shrink the court, their personality, their character, how they cheer for their teammates, those are guys you want to have around,” Boylan said. “I’m so happy that they’re around and that they’re in the program right now. I think those guys have major potential.”

Jorge was especially pleased with what he was able to show the Mavs’ coaches. After scoring just three points and playing only 13 minutes in the first two games, he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and two steals against Memphis, and 15 points, 12 boards and five against the Knicks.

“I was not expecting anything that happened this week,” Jorge said. “I appreciate the Dallas Mavericks and the entire coaching staff for supporting me and giving me the confidence to go out there and play my basketball, which is what I did.

“So, I’m super happy with what I did and I’m super grateful.”

The Mavs as a whole are also super happy they were able to end summer league play with a three-game winning streak.