With the NBA Draft rapidly approaching, one player that keeps being linked to the Minnesota Timberwolves is Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea. Most recently, Jake Fischer mentioned that De Larrea is viewed as a trade-back candidate for the Wolves.
Nevertheless, should the Wolves stay put at pick 28, I think De Larrea could be a viable option. In last year's draft, Wolves president Tim Connelly selected French big man Joan Beringer in the first round. Now, we could see Connelly take a chance on another international prospect, yet one with more plug-and-play potential.
Recent mock drafts from Christopher Kline of FanSided and Derek Parker of Sports Illustrated have had the Wolves drafting De Larrea. Given this, paired with Fischer's reporting, he is a player who needs to be on Wolves fans' radar.
Sergio De Larrea's playmaking could help the Timberwolves
The main appeal of drafting De Larrea is undoubtedly to land a playmaker with plus positional size. It's no secret that the Timberwolves need an infusion of playmaking alongside Anthony Edwards and getting a playmaker with good size would be all the more beneficial.
De Larrea measured in at 6-foot-6 (barefoot) with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. These measurements are those of an NBA wing. All the same, De Larrea is comfortable enough with the ball in his hands and has enough playmaking chops to operate as a lead guard.
This past season with Valencia Basket, De Larrea averaged 3.7 assists in 18.3 minutes of action while posting an impressive 28.6 assist percentage. De Larrea's basketball IQ is off the charts and he is capable of making every pass you can think of.
While it remains unclear if De Larrea will function as a true lead guard or a secondary ball-handler, he has enough size and playmaking to function in either role. Likewise, his size should make his transition to the NBA more manageable than other ball-handling options in the late first-round.
The rest of De Larrea's game
De Larrea also offers some promise as a creator and shooter. This past season, he shot 40.7 percent on 3.3 3-point attempts per game, including 39.4 percent on pull-up triples. While his overall percentages were lower, De Larrea shot a stellar 44.4 percent on pull-up 3s in the prior season. He also netted 48.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-point shots this past season.
Certainly, De Larrea's ability to play with or without the ball is a major selling point, especially for teams like the Wolves who have plenty of established talent. All in all, this combination gives De Larrea an ideal dribble-pass-shoot skill set that teams are always searching for and his size makes him all the more enticing.
Despite his size and high IQ, there are genuine concerns about De Larrea's athleticism. In turn, it's fair to question his defensive projection and it's worth wondering, despite his solid shot creation chops, how much this will be a part of his game at the next level.
Listen, you aren't going to find a perfect player at pick 28 and these athleticism concerns are largely why De Larrea could fall to Minnesota. Still, there's more than enough promise on the other side of the ball for De Larrea to be a positive NBA contributor, perhaps even from the get-go.
For a Wolves team that is searching for some extra playmaking and has enough athleticism to negate some of De Larrea's concerns, drafting him would make a ton of sense.
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