Boston Celtics tipped to take Spanish teen Juan Núñez in the draft

The NBA season has entered its final stretch. Only seven of the 30 teams that started the campaign remain alive in the postseason and those who have been eliminated are already focused on the future - more specifically on the trade window, which opens on 1 July, and on the draft, which this year, will be held over two days. In the first, Wednesday 26 June, the 30 rookies from the first round will be chosen, and the following day, the 27th, the 28 from the second round will be drawn.

Two nights of rookie selections, which according to the ESPN mock draft (draft forecasts), will feature two Spanish players, one in each round. Juan Núñez will be chosen in 30th place (the last of the first round) by the Boston Celtics, along with the Denver Nuggets, the great favorite to win this season’s North American championship.

Núñez’s passing skills make him a strong prospect

“Boston has a chance to affordably bolster its depth with this pick, presumably looking for a player who can help its current fight atop the East,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo noted back at the start of March. Jonathan Givony added, “Núñez hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down as the season has moved on, and he continues to stake his claim as the best passer in this draft based on the way he can manipulate defenses with high-level pick-and-roll reads. Not many NBA players show the type of vision and creativity he does with the ball, which he has paired nicely by making real strides with his finishing ability, defense and all-around scoring on a competitive team that has won quite a few games in the EuroCup and German BBL. He would be a situational fit for most NBA teams, but he comes with the added flexibility of possibly being stashed on a EuroLeague squad next year, which could be intriguing for the many teams that have multiple picks”.

The 19-year-old, who was developed in Real Madrid’s youth system, has performed at a high level during the past two seasons at German club Ratiopharm Ulm. In his first season, he was part of the team that won the first Bundesliga title in the club’s history and, in this second, he has become one of the most reliable game directors in the Old Continent - his 5.7 basket passes were the second highest average in the Eurocup, where his team fell in the round of 16 against Joventut. He was also the fourth best stealer in the tournament, averaging 1.9 per game. He has also averaged 10.8 points and 3.6 rebounds for a 15.4 rating.

Núñez making the grade at international level with Spain

Núñez’s growth is not only in club basketball. Internationally, the Madrileño took a step forward last summer with Spain’s national team during the World Cup... and he did so without the aid of a safety net: the absence of Lorenzo Brown and the abrupt departure of Ricky Rubio to take care of his mental health, elevated him within Sergio Scariolo’s scheme. The coach had already considered him for the 2022 Eurobasket. Núñez averaged 5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists (Top-20 of the Asian tournament) for a 9.8 rating. His put in his best performance against Brazil, finishing with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for an efficiency rating of +21.

The other Spaniard on the draft list is Izan Almansa. The 18-year-old power forward has fallen a lot in the forecasts, from that third pick in August 2023 to the current selection in 38th place, where the New York Knicks await. A pronounced decline that comes after winning the gold medal in the U-19 World Cup with Spain, the second in national team history, but a nightmare season in Ignite, developmental basketball team in the NBA G League curtailed his development - just two wins in 34 games. Those poor results have led the NBA, sponsor of the project, to dissolve the team. The Murcian averaged 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Almansa is currently in Chicago, at the Draft Combine, where promising young basketball players, with intentions in the draft, show their talent and skill to NBA franchise talent scouts. Núñez also received an invitation, but will try out in Germany as he is still in competition with Ulm. “Getting to the NBA would be very exciting, it would make me and my family very happy. I really want to do it,” Almansa told EFE.

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