While De Larrea’s play is hardly a mystery to scouts and Euroleague fans alike – given his rotational minutes for contender Valencia Basket – the late draft intrigue surrounding Sergio De Larrea circles around speculation as to just how high he can climb in tomorrow’s NBA draft. Though most European prospects are notoriously difficult to evaluate, as their minutes are oftentimes limited if they play for a top European club, De Larrea is a notable exception and his game is mature beyond his years. What, then, makes De Larrea such a polarizing prospect to evaluate is the juxtaposition of his extremely high basketball IQ, with his physical limitations. With this in mind, it is clear that De Larrea’s success in the NBA and eventual player development will highly depend on his landing spot. A team that exudes patience and gives De Larrea the room to operate with creativity and function as a lead guard, orchestrating sets, will enable Sergio to maximize his potential. On the other hand, if a team drafts him and decides to reduce him to a 3-and-D secondary ball handler and corner 3 weapon, they may not optimize his development. Importantly, the next few years will be critical for determining what type of player Sergio will become at the pro level. While De Larrea is already an impressive role player at the highest level of Europe, a move to the NBA’s space and pace, might just unlock another level of playmaking.
Physical Profile
In terms of his physical tools, Sergio De Larrea is a
barefoot 6’6 with a 6’9 wingspan and a 8’4 ¾ standing reach. These measurements
should place him in the upper echelon of lead guards in the league, and provide
a distinct advantage passing over the top of a defense. With that said, his
poor first step and below average lateral quickness are limitations that he
will have to overcome in order to justify major minutes at the next level.
Offensive Tendencies
When discussing 20 year old Sergio De Larrea’s offensive game, it is important to note that he is already a savant with the ball in his hands, understanding how to shift professional defenses and orchestrate an offense. In the second toughest domestic league in the world, De Larrea posted a 26.06% Assist Rate according to 3stepsbasket (indicating the percentage of teammates field goals that were assisted by Sergio), which fell in the 89 percentile of all ACB players. De Larrea thrives in P&R sets, where he is able to make fundamentally sound interior feeds to cutters, utilize spacing to drive the lane and find shooters in the corner, or take it all the way to the basket for easy lay-ins. Sergio does an excellent job of manipulating the defense with his eyes and pass fakes, creating many additional opportunities for his teammates. He plays with characteristic Spanish league flair, habitually setting up shooters with targeted around-the-back dimes. Importantly, De Larrea is a connective passer and does not hunt for assists – similar to many high IQ players in Europe, he tends to move the ball quickly and values the hockey assist as well. He also waits for plays to develop, due to his keen awareness of floor spacing. Further, De Larrea can be deliberate playing off of two feet, but also is excellent at misdirecting the defense, employing an array of pass and shot fakes, as well as look off passes. He decidedly knows when to leave his feet – namely, with wrap around passes to the corner, or to draw the defense to converge on him. Despite his youth, De Larrea displays remarkable patience moving the ball, waiting for plays to open up, instead of opting for the more difficult reads. He plays wise beyond his years, and this high basketball IQ was intimated by his 1.93-to-1 Assist-to-Turnover Ratio this season. Importantly, while his ball control has proven to be secure at the pro level already, De Larrea must develop a more versatile stop-and-go handle and hesitation dribble moves in order to compensate for his slow first step. Otherwise, he will struggle to gain an advantage over pro defenders, and it will be more difficult for him to find his teammates.
While De Larrea functions best with the ball in his hands
creating for his teammates, he is intelligent enough to function off ball as
well. Importantly, due to Sergio’s keen spatial awareness, he frequently
balances the floor and is able to find creases in the defense. Significantly,
De Larrea does an excellent job of relocating for the corner 3, enabling his
teammates to drive in the lane and find him for an open look.
In terms of his shooting, Sergio has a deliberate shooting
motion with a high release point. With that said, he connected on 39.2% of his
3pt attempts this season, which was in-line with his 43.2% in 2024-25. He
rarely takes bad shots, and is often the recipient of open corner 3pters, or
open shots out of the P&R. Importantly, though he was presented with more
shots from the middle of the floor/wing, De Larrea was markedly more efficient
from the corner 3. This is no surprise given the fact that many of his corner
3’s were uncontested. He occasionally can step in and connect on a balanced mid
range jumper from the free throw line in order to keep defenses honest. When he
does get to the line, De Larrea connected on 81.5% of his attempts.
Importantly, his coach placed a great deal of trust in him – on one occasion,
he was selected to take teammate Jean Montero’s free throws when Jean was
unable to shoot them. In terms of an
area of offensive development, he would be well served to start extending the
range on his floater, so that he can keep defenses on their toes, instead of
allowing them to overplay him at the rim.
Rebounding
In terms of intangibles, Sergio has a really good nose for
the ball and tends to collect his teammate’s misses and either score or kick
the ball back out for a wide open 3pter. His 7.17% offensive rebounding % was
in the 72 percentile of the ACB this past year, and he created many additional
opportunities for his teammates. While he was somewhat effective on the
defensive glass as well (10.91% defensive rebounding %), due to his size and
length, De Larrea was able to turn some of these plays into transition
opportunities, with effective lead passes down court. Look for this area of his
game to develop at the next level and for him to push the tempo early and often
with whichever franchise takes a chance on him.
Defensive Tendencies
On the opposite side of the ball, Sergio De Larrea is going
to struggle defending in space at the next level, due to his lack of lateral
quickness. In ACB play, smaller guards were able to easily beat him to the
basket. As he grows as a 1 on 1 defender, De Larrea will utilize his improved
physicality to do an even better job steering his man off his spot and guiding
him towards either the sideline or baseline, depending on the location of the
drive. With that said, De Larrea is an excellent positional defender, so he may
be able to compensate somewhat with his excellent basketball IQ. In terms of
his play with Valencia, Sergio is extremely intelligent on the defensive side
of the ball, and knows when to apply physicality and when to pressure the ball.
He frequently double teams up top to create successful traps, confident in his
teammates’ rotations, recognizing when the spacing of the opposition was off. Further,
De Larrea does a nice job closing out on 3pt shooters without overcommitting.
He displays good effort on closeouts, disrupting the opposition and on occasion
blocking smaller guards’ shots. As he continues to develop physically, De
Larrea will be better able to fight over the top of screens and concede less
ground when taken into the post. Look for him to make considerable strides in
this area, as he is already extremely communicative on this end of the floor.
Major Takeaways
Anecdotally, De Larrea is a consummate professional, who
lives in the gym. He is highly intelligent both on and off the court, and
possesses remarkable poise for a 20-year old. He is a good teammate, and
someone who puts in the effort to become a great basketball player. While many
NBA draft success stories are situationally dependent, De Larrea’s future team
will be especially pivotal for his development. The more focus they place on
his development as a ball handler and a veritable pick and roll weapon, the
more likely he will carve out a niche on a winning team in the NBA. Overall,
look for De Larrea to be this draft’s fastest riser tomorrow, especially with
the taste of his heroics in Valencia’s Game 3 win over Barca today.
Images Courtesy of Europa Press & Mega Sport
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