Juan Núñez turned 20 this Tuesday. The promising Spanish point guard for Ratiopharm Ulm, of the German League, did not have any special plan to celebrate, but these days he lives in the midst of the whirlwind of a summer that could mark his career. Núñez has enlisted in the draft of the NBA that will be held on June 26 and 27, he hopes to be called up this Thursday by Sergio Scariolo to play in the pre-Olympic tournament in Valencia from July 2 to 7, and the Paris Games if the team wins that tournament and qualifies. and his name does not stop ringing for a change of shirt that could take him back to Spain. Real Madrid, the team in which he trained for seven seasons and which has the right of first refusal on him, and Barcelona, on the verge of another change of face, are pending his immediate future.
“Right now I’m focused on these days and that’s it. “I want to have a good time, wherever it is,” said the 1.92m point guard yesterday at an event at the Draft Combine, the training camp where some of the best prospects participate in work sessions and are analyzed by scouts. the NBA before deciding to bid for them. Predictions point to a limit position between the first and second round of the drafta choice that will determine Núñez’s options to make the jump to the American League or to continue his growth in Europe.
The young conductor, a point guard with great vision of the game and ease of passing, does not dispel the doubts, but continues to wait for events on both sides of the ocean. “Every summer has been important for me, one more step. It means I’m doing things right. I know I have to work a lot, but I feel physically and mentally prepared, and also ready in terms of the game,” he explained. He was firm, however, in his intention to wear the national shirt. “Of course I want to go to the Games, it is a dream for anyone. I am very excited, I know it is not easy because there are very good players in my position. I think I’m ready, I’ll go do the best I can and enjoy it. I hope to be on Scariolo’s list on Thursday,” he commented.
Núñez opened the door to Madrid at the age of 11, finally decided by his love of the basket (he became Madrid champion in basketball and handball in the same weekend) and in seven years he established himself as one of the great pearls of the White House. He was the MVP of the junior Euroleague in 2020 and both Pablo Laso and Chus Mateo gave him a role with the first team, even in the league final won against Barcelona three seasons ago. But the boy wanted more, he demanded a few minutes and a role that was not guaranteed among the stars and he headed to Ratiopharm Ulm, a German team without the brilliance of Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin. In Ulm, the city where Albert Einstein was born, they won the League the first season and in this season the team has been fourth, after Bayern, Alba and Chemnitz. In the Spanish point guard’s service record, 35 games (24 as a starter), with an average of 22 minutes and 9.4 points and 4.7 assists (leader of his team) per game. In the Eurocup, Ratiopharm fell in the round of 16 against Joventut.
“In Germany I have grown first of all as a person, living alone, having to use the washing machine, learning to be older…, has helped me a lot and I am very happy with how things have gone for me outside of basketball. On the track I have had more and more prominence, we have won a championship. I am very happy with the decision I made, how it has gone, how I have improved, it has helped me to be more professional, going to work before training, staying after, preparing in the afternoons. I have shown myself that I have taken a step forward even though I have many things to improve. “I am ready for whatever has to come,” he responded to EL PAÍS.
These two German military courses have run parallel to his step forward with the Spanish team. Núñez was champion of the 2019 U-16 European Championship and the 2022 U-20 European Championship, an event in which he was chosen as the best in the tournament. That summer he was in the absolute orbit to attend the Eurobasket, but his moment came in the World Cup last summer. The losses of Ricky Rubio and Lorenzo Brown gave him the Spanish midfielder alongside Alberto Díaz. The youngest of the group responded. “He is destined to be the leader of the team in the future,” Scariolo pointed out.
With 17 matches with the senior team in the backpack, the next stop could be the Valencia pre-Olympic and the Games if the team qualifies, the desire also to coincide with Ricky Rubio. Meanwhile, the draft of the NBA, which he plans to attend instead of waiting for another course that would give him more visibility in Europe (Izan Almansa also plans to appear, while Aday Mara and Baba Miller did not register). There is a lot to decide in a summer with many window displays.
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