Looking at Hugo Gonzalez’s draft stock

International basketball prospects moved around the world this summer. Mexican winger Karim Lopez left Joventut Badalona for an NBL Next Stars deal with the New Zealand Breakers. Kasparas Jakucionis and Egor Demin, star youth guards for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, took NIL deals and are playing college basketball in the United States. Mouhamed Faye stayed with Reggio Emilia and has seen his role increase after some good play last season. Nolan Traore chose a similar path with French club Saint Quentin.

Then there’s Hugo Gonzalez, the Spanish winger who graduated from Real Madrid’s esteemed youth academy and, while he might also have sought NIL opportunities, a move to a smaller club for more minutes or other scenarios to watch more playing time he decided to stick with. The Whites One of the best clubs in Europe, where he should fight with ex-NBA players like Mario Hezonja, Dzanan Musa and Gabriel Deck for playing time.

In seven games, Gonzalez is losing this battle. He has played in three games this season, averaging seven minutes per game and scoring a total of four points. No one expected a Luka Doncic-sized role for Gonzalez or even a start, but a regular spot in the rotation looked like it could be in the cards given the opportunities Eli N’Diaye got from Chus Mateo last season , his incapacity. to replace Guerschon Yabusele, and Hezonja missing time to start the season due to illness.

González, however, has not taken advantage of this opening, and Real Madrid’s general start to the season has not helped him either. Mateo is currently training for his job. Madrid lost their opening games in both the ACB League and the Euroleague to much inferior opponents: A Coruña and Bayern Munich. While Mateo’s previous achievements – the 2023 Euroleague championship, the 2024 Euroleague runner-up and the 2024 ACB League championship – would provide him with security in an ideal world, that’s not how Madrid works. They expect to win, everything, every season. There is no room for failure, and that leaves little room for projects and development.

That leaves players like Gonzalez on the outside looking in.

This situation does not help Gonzalez’s draft stock. Being able to move up the draft boards is largely dependent on playing well. To play well, you must play. At the same time, we cannot declaratively say that it is harming Gonzalez’s actions either. He’s been listed in the top 10 of ESPN’s top 100 since early October, and there haven’t been any notable media draft picks raising eyebrows at his lack of opportunity.

There have been no reports of Gonzalez wanting more playing time or being frustrated by relinquishing a deep bench role. Perhaps, this is what Gonzalez and his agent wanted. He’s been a lottery-level lock in this class for over a year now, and his frame and style of play are attractive in the modern NBA. By staying with Real Madrid, he is training against the best possible players every day and has access to top-class facilities and training.

If he doesn’t play and doesn’t get hurt, there’s little reason for anyone to feel any different about him compared to this summer. If he becomes a regular rotation player, it would at the very least be a validation of his current position and potentially increase it. There will likely be some front offices that will see Gonzalez’s inability to establish a role as a yellow flag, but the fallout isn’t detrimental, and given minimal opportunity, it looks like he may have picked the best option for their overall project. by choosing to stay with Real Madrid.

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