{"id":861065,"date":"2026-09-26T06:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T06:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/861065\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T06:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T06:42:21","slug":"santi-aldama-confident-in-sergio-de-larrea-hes-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/861065\/","title":{"rendered":"Santi Aldama confident in Sergio de Larrea: \u201cHe\u2019s a pro\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Johnny Askounis\/ info@eurohoops.net<\/a><\/p>\n

Santi Aldama is stepping into a new chapter with the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, carrying the excitement of a fresh start and the responsibility of helping a fellow countryman adjust to the NBA.<\/p>\n

The move marks a big shift. He spent his first five years in the league with the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, appearing in 288 games. Now, as he finds his footing in Dallas, a familiar face from home is making the adjustment easier.<\/p>\n

Speaking at Friday\u2019s preseason media day, the 25-year-old forward opened up about his transition to Dallas, his recovery from a knee injury, and his new role as a mentor.<\/p>\n

Spanish connection<\/p>\n

The Mavericks<\/a> recently added rookie guard Sergio de Larrea from EuroLeague\u2019s Valencia<\/a>, giving Aldama an unexpected big-brother role. Entering his sixth year in the NBA, the veteran forward wants to guide his longtime friend through the grueling demands of a rookie season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s special,\u201d he said when asked about sharing an NBA locker room with a teammate on the senior national team of Spain. \u201cBeing from Spain, you don\u2019t really get to play with a lot of Spanish people. Sergio, obviously, I played with him. He\u2019s my friend, so that adds even more to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the transition from Europe is always tough, Aldama believes the 20-year-old combo guard is mature enough to handle it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to help him out in any way I can,\u201d he added. \u201cHe\u2019s a pro. I know he got it figured out. Super exciting, I think, for both of us, to be able to be in the NBA together at the same time. That\u2019s rare, and we\u2019re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Larrea\u2019s NBA fit<\/p>\n

Beyond their off-court bond, Aldama is genuinely optimistic about what De Larrea brings to the floor. As an oversized playmaker, the rookie presents a unique style that could flourish with NBA spacing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a super tall guard that\u2019s pass-first,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou don\u2019t see many pass-first guards that are that tall, super good court vision and is always willing to do what it takes to help the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Las Palmas native believes that the structural differences will actually unlock De Larrea\u2019s passing instincts.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to do it even better just because the court\u2019s bigger, threats around the court are better,\u201d he noted. \u201cJust going to pick his spots and pick what teammates are open, and he\u2019s just going to make the right read every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The road to 100% fitness<\/p>\n

While chemistry and mentorship are moving along smoothly, Aldama\u2019s primary individual focus remains his health. An arthroscopic procedure on his right knee cut his previous campaign short after 43 games. He was highly productive before the injury, averaging 14.0 points, but the recovery also forced him to sit out the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers over the summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on it,\u201d he reflected on his long offseason rehabilitation. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long summer in that sense, but I\u2019m working every day, and I\u2019m feeling better every day. So I\u2019m excited to get back out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

With training camp officially starting, his exact availability for the opening days remains a fluid situation managed by the medical staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s TBD more on the medical side,\u201d Aldama clarified when asked if he would be a full participant from day one. \u201cI\u2019m feeling better every day. I\u2019m doing a bunch of stuff on the court right now, so yeah, just excited to get there every day, get better every day, and then, you know, be at 100% as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mavericks are scheduled to travel to Macao for two international preseason games against the Houston Rockets<\/a>. After that, they return to the American Airlines Center to host the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> and the Rockets<\/a>. Dallas will officially open its 2026\u201327 Regular Season on October 21 on the road against Houston at the Toyota Center.<\/p>\n

Read the latest News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Johnny Askounis\/ info@eurohoops.net Santi Aldama is stepping into a new chapter with the Dallas Mavericks, carrying the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":861066,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":["post-861065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}