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The Dallas Mavericks traded Ryan Nembhard and a second-round pick to acquire Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks over the weekend, and this deal alone shows how much Dallas already trusts Sergio De Larrea as a rookie. Nembhard started 27 games last season and averaged a rookie-high 5.3 assists per game to go along with 6.6 points. He played a huge role as a rookie and organized the offense as well as anyone on the roster.
The fact that they traded Nembhard after a good season and him being on a team-friendly contract shows that they clearly expect De Larrea to step into a similar role as he kicks off his NBA career.
Mavericks' guard depth is quietly a concern
Dallas wouldn't have traded a player who started a large chunk of games last year if they didn't believe in De Larrea, and moving Nembhard is a serious bet that De Larrea is ready to play real rotation minutes as a rookie.
The Nembhard trade leaves the Mavericks with Kyrie Irving, De Larrea, and Marcus Sasser as the team's only point guards, making De Larrea's role as a rookie more pressing than before. A case can be made that Sasser is more of a combo guard than he is a point guard, making De Larrea's job as a floor general even more crucial.
The Mavericks quietly still need another guard on their roster to balance things out, as they are extremely overloaded on the wing. Both of the moves that they have made in the last few days (trading for Risacher and signing Jett Howard) were focused on improving their wing depth, leaving their backcourt thin.
Why Sergio De Larrea is ready for NBA minutes
This means that Irving and De Larrea will take on most of the minutes as the team's primary playmaker, and Sergio proved that he is ready for this during the NBA Summer League. De Larrea averaged 8.0 points, 8.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for Dallas in four games in Las Vegas, and his playmaking was one of the things that stood out the most.
The 6-foot-6 guard led the Summer League in assists per game, and his play took a step up while Nembhard was sidelined due to an illness. He already makes advanced reads, looks comfortable in the pick-and-roll, and has good chemistry with fellow rookie Morez Johnson Jr.
Why De Larrea is a good fit for the Mavericks
De Larrea is also an excellent lob passer, and this should make him a strong fit in Dallas. All three of the Mavericks' centers, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Moussa Cisse, are good lob catchers, and De Larrea is going to make their lives so much easier. Dallas' bigs haven't played with an elite alley-oop thrower since Luka Doncic was traded, and this happens to be De Larrea's specialty.
The Mavericks' Ryan Nembhard trade was a huge vote of confidence in rookie guard Sergio De Larrea. He has the vision, passing, and IQ of a seasoned veteran as a 20-year-old, and he'll soon have the chance to prove that Dallas made the right bet by trading away his competition in the backcourt.
Today's best reads
- Mavericks' Zaccharie Risacher trade creates a glaring hole they must fill
- Sergio De Larrea brings the one skill that will have the Mavericks' big men feasting
- Sergio De Larrea already looks like the solution to the Mavericks' glaring hole
- Mavericks' Jett Howard move ignores a problem that doomed them last season
- Mavericks' blueprint to make Sergio De Larrea a star should mirror Egor Demin's rise
This article was originally published on thesmokingcuban.com as Mavericks' Ryan Nembhard trade shows how Dallas really feels about Sergio De Larrea.
