MUNICH (Germany) - Over the past three NBA Drafts, 13 European players have been selected in the first round. None of them, however, have been Spanish.
When June 25 rolls around, Hugo Gonzalez, one of the best wing players to come out of Spain over the last decade, will look to end a three-year drought without a Spanish first-round pick - dating back to the 2021 NBA Draft when both Usman Garuba and Santi Aldama were selected in the first round.
Once Hugo hears his name called, it will be yet another milestone in a basketball career that began at just nine years old - right where his father, Paco, played his last competitive basketball games: San Agustin de Guadalix, 20 miles north of Madrid.
"He doesn’t look phased by the moment but rather energized when his team needs him." - Antonio Dias, basketball scout for Eurohoops.
Growing up in a basketball family, with both parents having played professional basketball in Spain, was a major influence for Hugo. “My first basketball memories come from my parents. They played basketball and they influenced me a bit,” he said in an interview with the ACB YouTube channel. “It made me want to play as well.”
After three years at San Agustin’s basketball academy, Hugo had the opportunity to join the ranks of Real Madrid, where he quickly became the leader of a star-studded 2006 generation that included names like Ismaila Diagne, Mitar Bonjakovic and fellow draft prospect Egor Demin. Gonzalez went on to win back-to-back Adidas NextGen titles with the team and earned MVP honors at the competition in 2024.
As he rose through the youth-level ranks, Gonzalez also became one of the cornerstones of the Spanish youth national teams. At just 15 years old, he was an integral part of the squad that reached the finals at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022, and he received an All-Star Five nod at the 2023 FIBA U18 EuroBasket, where Spain also claimed the silver medal.
As the standout performances kept piling up, scouts began to take notice.
“My first impression of Hugo was of a highly competitive and strong player—way beyond his years,” says Antonio Dias, basketball scout for Eurohoops and the Mexico City Capitanes of the NBA G League. “He looked more mature and developed than everyone else around him at 16 and 17 years old.”
Even at a young age, scouts could see that his impact on the court extended far beyond his individual stats. “He didn’t have the volume nor the margin of error of other young players who are the centerpieces of their youth teams,” noted Artau Pascual, Director of Scouting for Eurohopes, before adding, “He's always adjusted to what his team needs to win.”
After a few seasons alternating between sporadic playing time with Real Madrid’s senior team and starring for their youth squads, Gonzalez found the opportunity to take the leap ahead of the 2024-25 season. A team-first player by all accounts—who also happens to be incredibly talented—was in high demand, but Gonzalez, according to reports by BasketNews, rebuffed offers from NCAA programs to remain with Real Madrid and be a part of the senior team's rotation for the 2024-25 campaign.
Evaluating him this season has presented a bit of a challenge for scouts around the world, as Gonzalez has averaged just over 10 minutes per game. “Hugo stayed in Madrid when he had the option to be loaned out or leave for another continent, and the team’s circumstances have kept him from getting consistent playing time—which would’ve surely boosted his draft stock,” Pascual says.
Those circumstances? A Real Madrid roster stacked with world-class talent—including former NBA players Mario Hezonja and Facundo Campazzo, and expected FIBA EuroBasket 2025 standout Dzanan Musa.
The lack of consistent playing time has kept Gonzalez, who was seen as a potential top ten pick before the start of the season, from rising up draft boards. “Not many players are able to play at such a highly-decorated club as Hugo Gonzalez did with Real Madrid. He has probably dropped on consensus draft boards by staying with a team full of NBA-caliber guys and not getting as many minutes, especially at the start of the season,” Dias explains.
He then offers a silver lining: “But the experience of playing and practicing weekly and daily with professional basketball players of that quality will always be valuable experience for what’s to come.”
“It’s very important for us that our younger players keep getting experience and immerse themselves in the values of #LaFamilia.” - Sergio Scariolo, Spain's national team head coach
There’s definitely a time and place for development, but in a club with such high expectations like Real Madrid, minutes aren’t given: they’re earned. "I play him because I think he can contribute for the team," said head coach Chus Mateo during a press conference in October 2024. "I don’t play him just because it might be good for him or because it might help him grow. I play him because I really think he can help us."
This situation is not lost on the Spanish national team and its head coach, Sergio Scariolo, and the team has been active in bridging the gap between young Spanish players and meaningful playing time.
"The Spanish league is the league where the local players enjoy the least playing time, fewest shots, and less action and presence on the floor in the fourth quarter,” said Scariolo to Taking The Charge’s David Hein. “What we can do is promote players, give them the opportunity, take risks, push them up, but up to an extent,” Scariolo added, before concluding: “We are giving them more playing time with the national team than the playing time these guys have with their clubs."
Scariolo has kept his word. During the FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers, a number of talented young players, such as Izan Almansa, Sergio De Larrea, Mario Saint-Supery and Rafa Villar made their debut for the senior national team in what Scariolo himself has referred to as a generational renewal.
“It’s very important for us that our younger players keep getting experience and immerse themselves in the values of #LaFamilia,” Scariolo said to the Spanish Basketball Federation website ahead of EuroBasket’s November window.
That opportunity would come for Gonzalez during the February Qualifying window, when he made his senior national team debut with a standout performance against Latvia: 11 points and 6 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. His impact during his first game made one thing clear: the new generation of Spanish basketball is arriving and Gonzalez, as always, is a perfect fit.
“Hugo fits and makes life easier for players who need the ball in their hands,” explains Pascual. “He loves to contribute on the margins of the game. Moving without the ball and doing the dirty work. He has excellent habits without the ball and the physical and athletic qualities to translate those habits to the elite levels of competition.”
That ability to make an impact without the ball is what scouts see as his calling card at the next level. “The floor seems to be that of a high-level role player in my opinion,” says Dias when asked about his NBA projection. “Someone who can space the floor as a shooter, but especially as a driver off the catch. A wing who can get to the basket and challenge rim protectors while also being a plus defender with mobility, strength, and hustle.”
His coaches also rave about his qualities. “He’s very smart, has a great work ethic, good physique, good touch, good defensive abilities, he helps with rebounding,” Mateo mentioned after a January win against Leyma Coruna. “The only thing missing is maturity and experience, but there’s no rush. That will come with time.”
The traits that make him a potential NBA player and a future cornerstone of the Spanish National team, however, go beyond his skills and athleticism.
“He works every day in a great way, with a respect for basketball, for his teammates and for his coach that is exemplary in a young player,” Mateo noted. “He knows that he needs to wait and be ready for the moment, without anxiety. There’s no need for him to play the game of the century every time he steps on the floor.”
Scouts also highlight Gonzalez’s leadership. According to Pascual, Gonzalez “has a very positive body language and a way to lead his teams by example.” For Dias, his competitiveness is the key: “It doesn’t matter if he’s up 30, down 30 or the importance of the game: you will see 100% on his part in terms of hustle, focus and preparation,” he said before concluding. “He doesn’t look phased by the moment but rather energized when his team needs him.”
Through his career—regardless of the context, the opponent or the amount of playing time he gets—Gonzalez has always been able to answer the call. Whether it’s defending multiple positions, making an impact without the ball or attacking the basket, he has provided his team with anything they ask of him.
It shouldn’t be a surprise if he continues doing just that, whether it is for an NBA team next season or for Spain at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
"I’m prepared for everything that’s coming,” Gonzalez explained when talking to the Spanish media ahead of his first National Team call-up, before concluding, “for everything that coach asks of me, both Chus and now Sergio."
FIBA