There are few in the NBA world who are as on fire right now as Masai Ujiri, the Dallas Mavericks’ new team president.
Right before the 2026 NBA Draft, Ujiri took a massive swing at the Mavericks’ vacant head coach position. He hired Dusty May, who guided the Michigan Wolverines to the national championship. The next day, Ujiri turned around and absolutely nailed Dallas’ two draft picks.
Here is who the Mavericks selected and why they are so good for Dallas currently and for the future.
Dallas Mavericks Addressed Their Wants and Needs
The Dallas Mavericks needed to resolve several question marks regarding their roster coming into this draft. Those were:
- Another point guard, particularly alongside the returning and aging Kyrie Irving
- Effective size, particularly off the bench
- More shooting threats
Dallas managed to take care of all three.
To address the size, Dallas selected Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. with the ninth overall pick. Johnson is 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds with innate defensive ability. In college, Johnson Jr. proved he could guard one through five and flashed an everlasting motor to compete at a high level.
Offensively, he won’t score 30 a night, but he’s got great touch around the rim. Johnson Jr.’s 67.7% true shooting percentage last season ranked second in the Big Ten.
He’s also working to improve his outside shot, something he didn’t do much of in college. At the NBA Combine, he went 17/25 from three-point range. That said, it remains to be seen if that translates. Above anything else, he’ll take little time to get acclimated to May’s system.
Then, the Mavericks took their 30th pick — along with a pair of second-round selections — and packaged it in a deal. In exchange, the team drafted point guard Sergio De Larrea of Spain.
On paper, Sergio fixes the other two issues Dallas was looking to address. He shot over 42% from three last year playing for Spain’s Valencia Basket. He’s also a developmental guard for the Mavericks, whom Irving can mentor. The question remains: although he promptly solves these problems, will he be with the team to solve them promptly?
Dallas still hasn’t confirmed whether to stash De Larrea in Spain for another year or bring him to the team right away. However, when he decides to play, De Larrea will make a huge difference.
In fact, he’ll do so in more ways than one.
Sergio De Larrea: A Promising Wild Card for Dallas Mavericks
Sergio De Larrea was largely unknown in the NBA world before the draft. Since then, he’s become a hot topic.
It’s already understood that he can shoot the lights out of the ball. However, his abilities go beyond that, especially since he’s considered one of the best young players in Spain.
For one, De Larrea is an absolutely brilliant passer and has good court vision and processing.
On top of this, he’s an efficient three-level scorer with great athleticism. He averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on 45/43/82 splits. His frame is exceptional for a guard at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds. Here’s a video showcasing all these aforementioned abilities in action:
It should be noted that he finished with these stats while playing just under 18 minutes a game. His Per-36 numbers project him as around a 19-point-per-game player, should he start for Dallas at any point. Fans are already giddy about him, even crowning him as “the next Luka.”
It’s too early to put labels like that on him, but Sergio De Larrea certainly has the tools and knows how to use them.
Onwards and Upwards for Dallas Mavericks
Dallas had to address specific needs in the draft. When the dust finally settled, they got those exact things thanks to Ujiri’s great management in his first draft with the Dallas Mavericks.
Now, the attention turns to how May gets the best out of both of them, particularly De Larrea. The standing national champion college coach will be learning the NBA alongside his rookies, but he has more than enough pedigree to take on the challenge.
The journey will have lots of anticipation. That said, there will also be much to look forward to.
Leave a comment