Spurs second-round pick Juan Núñez to be stashed in Barcelona for 2024-25 season

Spurs second-round pick Juan Núñez will be stashed in the Spanish League next season with Barcelona after signing with the team on Friday.

San Antonio Spurs second-round pick Juan Núñez will be stashed in the Spanish League for the 2024-25 season with Barcelona after signing with the team on Friday.

Núñez joins the powerhouse after spending last season with Ratiopharm Ulm in the German Basketball League. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 47% shooting from the field in 54 games across all league competitions.

The 20-year-old was the 36th pick in the 2024 NBA draft after dazzling last season in Germany. He was viewed as one of the top point guards in the draft, given his court vision and ability to get others involved.

Núñez skipped the NBA Summer League to play with Spain in the Olympic qualifying tournament. He made two appearances with the team, which claimed its seventh straight appearance in the Olympics after finishing the qualifying tournament with a 4-0 record.

He was eventually replaced on the team by veteran Álex Abrines.

Núñez will now turn his attention to playing with Barcelona. Despite vast experience at the professional level, Núñez will spend at least another season in Europe before making the jump to the NBA.

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Juan Núñez replaced by Álex Abrines on Spain’s 12-man roster

After clinching a berth in the Olympic Games, Spain announced a roster change ahead of the start of the tournament this month.

After clinching a berth in the 2024 Olympic Games, Spain announced a change to its men’s roster ahead of the start of the tournament on July 27 in Paris, France.

Veteran Álex Abrines, who missed the qualifying tournament due to injury, was cleared to play and added to the 12-man roster, replacing San Antonio Spurs second-round pick Juan Núñez. The team will keep Núñez in camp as a possible injury replacement.

Núñez totaled 19 minutes in two appearances in the qualifiers.

Spain defeated the Bahamas on Sunday, 86-78, to clinch its seventh straight appearance in the Olympic Games. Lorenzo Brown produced a team-high 18 points, Willy Hernangómez scored 15 points and seven rebounds and Santi Aldama added 12 points in the win.

Spain finished its run in the qualifying tournament with a 4-0 record. The team emerged as the top country from Group A after defeating Lebanon and Angola. The Spaniards then knocked off Finland in the semifinal to set up their matchup against the Bahamas, who were 3-0.

The team claimed one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. It will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and Greece, who defeated Croatia on Sunday in its qualifying tournament.

Spain will open up the Olympics against Australia on July 27. The team will then face Greece on July 30 before wrapping up the group phase on Aug. 2 against Canada.

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One week with the San Antonio Spurs 2024 rookies

If fans of the San Antonio Spurs think it has been a busy week for their favorite NBA ball club, they are not wrong.

If fans of the San Antonio Spurs think it has been a busy week for their favorite NBA ball club, they are not wrong. And for the incoming cohort of players picked up by San Antonio’s front office in the 2024 NBA draft, it has been especially busy, with the three prospects taken literally upending their entire lives to join the Spurs organization.

To give you all a better idea of what the last week has been like for University of Connecticut combo guard Stephon Castle, Ratiopharm Ulm guard Juan Nunez, and University of North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram, the team put together a short clip highlighting their experiences from draft night onward.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to get an inside look at a tumultuous if exciting seven days for these three Spurs rookies.

It might be a blur from their perspective, but it is also the start of a new chapter in San Antonio’s history.

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Spain defeats Bahamas to clinch 7th straight appearance in Olympic Games

Spain relied on its veteran players on Sunday to defeat the Bahamas and clinch its ticket to the Paris Olympics.

With a trip to the 2024 Olympic Games on the line, Spain relied on its veteran players on Sunday to defeat the Bahamas and guarantee its ticket to Paris, France.

Lorenzo Brown produced a team-high 18 points, Willy Hernangomez scored 15 points and seven rebounds and Santi Aldama added 12 points to lead Spain to the 86-78 victory and clinch its seventh consecutive berth in the Olympic Games.

Spanish legend Rudy Fernandez chipped in nine points in 20 minutes.

The game was evenly matched in the first quarter as the two teams were tied at 17 points after the first 10 minutes. Spain outscored the Bahamas 25-17 in the second quarter to take the lead for good. In all, the group led for nearly 27 minutes.

The Bahamas, led by Buddy Hield’s 19 points and Deandre Ayton’s 17 points and 14 rebounds, cut the deficit to six points with just under two minutes to play but were unable to get any closer after being held to one point the rest of the way.

Spain finished its run in the qualifying tournament with a 4-0 record. The team emerged as the top country from Group A after defeating Lebanon and Angola. The Spaniards then knocked off Finland in the semifinal to set up their matchup against the Bahamas, who were 3-0.

The team claims one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. It will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and Greece, who defeated Croatia on Sunday in its qualifying tournament.

Spain will open up the Olympic Games on July 27 against Australia. The team will then face Greece on July 30 before wrapping up the group phase on Aug. 2 against Canada.

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Spain, Juan Núñez post 45-point win over Lebanon in Olympic qualifier opener

Needing four wins to return to the Olympics for a seventh straight time, Spain opened its qualifying tournament with a dominating victory.

Needing four wins to return to the Olympic Games for a seventh straight time, Spain opened the qualifying tournament with a dominating victory in front of its home crowd in València.

Santi Aldama produced a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds, Usman Garuba had 15 points and eight rebounds and Jaime Pradilla added 14 points to lead Spain to the 104-59 victory over Lebanon in the group phase of the tournament.

Spain trailed for only 33 seconds in the victory and shot 49.3% from the field. The team also received strong contributions from Rudy Fernández (nine points), Willy Hernangómez (eight points) and Juan Núñez (two points, five assists and four rebounds).

After defeating Lebanon, Spain can advance to the semifinals of the tournament by defeating Angola on Wednesday. The team would face one of the top two teams from Group B, which features the Bahamas (1-0), Finland (0-1) and Poland.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

Spain has qualified for the Olympics 13 times, including the past six tournaments. The team last took home a medal in 2016 after finishing with the bronze.

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Spurs’ Juan Núñez named to Spain’s roster for Olympic qualifying tournament

Spurs draftee Juan Núñez was named to Spain’s 12-man senior national team roster for the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.

San Antonio Spurs draftee Juan Núñez was named to Spain’s 12-man senior national team roster for the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain.

Núñez, who was the 36th pick in the NBA draft, joins mainstays Rudy Fernández, Juancho Hernangómez, Willy Hernangómez, Santi Aldama and Usman Garuba on the roster. He has been with the team in training camp preparing for the tournament, which begins on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old has represented Spain at the senior level twice, most recently in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He averaged five points, 5.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds on 37.5% shooting from 3-point range in five games as Spain finished ninth.

Spain opens the tournament in Group A with Lebanon and will then face Angola on Wednesday. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals and face the top two teams from Group B, which features the Bahamas, Finland and Poland.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

Spain has qualified for the Olympics 13 times, including the past six tournaments. The team last took home a medal in 2016 after finishing with the bronze.

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The best of new San Antonio guard Juan Nunez

The Madrid native averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for Ratiopharm Ulm.

The San Antonio Spurs have used the first of their two second round picks in the 2024 NBA draft to trade back from No. 35 overall to No. 36, picking up the Indiana Pacers’ selection and cash considerations to take Ratiopharm Ulm guard Juan Nunez.

Nunez, a 6-foot-5, 200-lb. point guard with room to develop at just 20 years old, is a solid ball mover and pickpocket who is still raw, fouling and turning the ball over more than you’d like. But the measurables and passing vision are solid building blocks for a potential backup floor general who could turn into a steal if he can improve on his poor 3-point shooting.

The Madrid native averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, and if you would like to see more of his game in action, we have included a highlight tape from the “No Ceilings” YouTube channel.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to get to know his game better!

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Spurs acquire No. 36 pick from Pacers, select Spain’s Juan Nunez

The San Antonio Spurs will acquire the No. 36 pick from the Indiana Pacers and select Spain guard Juan Nunez.

The San Antonio Spurs were back at it on Thursday in day 2 of the NBA draft. After selecting UConn’s Stephon Castle and then selecting Rob Dillingham before trading him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Round 1 of the draft on Wednesday, the Spurs were on the clock in Round 2 with the No. 36 pick.

The Spurs did own the No. 35 pick which turned into Kansas wing Johnny Furphy, but they flipped him to the Indiana Pacers for the No. 36 pick and cash considerations. With that selection, the Spurs will select Juan Nunez from Spain who played in Germany this previous season. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.9 steals while shooting 36.1% from deep in the 2023-24 season.

The Spurs will now continue with the offseason and build around generational superstar Victor Wembanyama. The addition of Castle will infuse San Antonio’s defensive presence on the perimeter and this addition of Nunez will add ball-handling in the pick-and-roll offense.

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Juan Núñez named to Spain’s prelim roster for Olympic qualifying tournament

Núñez was among the 22 players named to Spain’s training camp roster for the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament.

Potential second-round pick Juan Núñez was among the 22 players named to the Spanish men’s national team training camp roster for the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament on July 2-7 in Malaga, Spain.

The preliminary roster features several mainstays of the program, such as Rudy Fernández, Juancho Hernangómez, Willy Hernangómez, Joel Parra and Álex Abrines, among others. The roster will be trimmed to 12 players after training camp, which begins on Monday.

Núñez has represented Spain at the senior level twice, most recently in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He averaged five points, 5.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds on 37.5% shooting from 3-point range in five games as Spain finished ninth.

Spain will open the qualifying tournament with Lebanon (July 2) and Angola (July 3). The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals and face the top two teams from Group B, which features the Bahamas, Finland and Poland.

The winner of the qualifying tournament will claim one of the four remaining spots in the 2024 Olympic Games. That country will be placed in Group A to start the Olympics, along with Australia, Canada and another team from a qualifying tournament.

Spain has qualified for the Olympics 13 times, including the past six tournaments. The team last took home a medal in 2016 after finishing with the bronze.

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Potential second-round pick Juan Núñez plans to stay in 2024 NBA draft

Spanish guard Juan Núñez said he plans on staying in the 2024 NBA draft after a productive season with Ratiopharm Ulm.

Spanish guard Juan Núñez said Tuesday that he plans on staying in the 2024 NBA draft after a productive season with Ratiopharm Ulm in the German Basketball League.

Núñez averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 47% shooting from the field in 54 games across all league competitions. He registered three double-doubles and scored in double figures 27 times, including a season-high 20 points on March 9.

He is projected to be a second-round pick this year and is viewed as one of the top point guards in the draft, given his court vision and ability to get others involved. He thrives in pick-and-roll situations and can get downhill and finish at the rim.

Núñez provided the update at a predraft camp for international prospects in Treviso, Italy. He is still gaining feedback from teams but will likely remain in the draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Núñez, who turned 20 on Tuesday, put himself firmly on the radar after a dazzling showing with Spain in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He averaged five points, 5.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds in five games as Spain finished ninth.

He said that he previously worked out with the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves, two teams that could target him at the end of the first round. He began the year projected to be a first-round pick and could go as high as that range.

Following the season, it was reported that Núñez would move from Ratiopharm Ulm to sign with Barcelona in the Spanish League next season. He side-stepped that question on Tuesday, saying he is focused on the predraft process.

Núñez has until June 16 to withdraw from the draft. He may also opt to keep his name in and either join the team that selects him on June 26-27 or play next season as a draft-and-stash prospect, which would enable him to join Barcelona.

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