Juan Nuñez Scouting Report
Can one of the top playmakers in the draft defy a negative archetype?
Name: Juan Nunez
Birth date: June 4, 2004
Height/Weight: 6’4/206
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’6 ½/8’6
Hand size: N/A
Position: PG
Pre-Draft team: Ratiopharm Ulm
Tools: Playmaking
Background: MVP of the U20 Euros in 2022 (as an 18 year old).
Season Stats: 9.9 PPG 4.9 APG 3.4 RPG 1.7 SPG 0.04 BPG 2.3 TOPG 1.9 FPG on 47/32/61
Pros:
Outstanding playmaker; great in the P&R
Elite feel for the game as a passer
Great pass accuracy to squeeze through tight windows
Competes hard on defense and has a good feel for the game
Cons:
Poor shooter; needs to improve jump shot form
Lacks scoring upside
Purely below the rim finisher
Poor burst and a minimal first step
Can get blown by and has poor recovery ability on-ball defensively due to athletic limitations
Mediocre frame
Swing Skills:
Can his defense translate up despite athletic concerns?
Summary:
Juan Nuñez is a traditional point guard that keeps the offense fluid for the team as a whole, but individually he struggles scoring the ball.
Nuñez is in danger of becoming what many other overseas archetypes like him became when they joined the NBA: their lack of scoring and pure passing game, with often limited athleticism, was not enough to crack a rotation, or if they did crack a rotation they were not positive players. With Nuñez’s lack of athleticism, he struggles to blow past and stay ahead of defenders on drives, and he is limited in how he can finish plays on the defensive end. While he does have good intelligence and understand how and where to be, as well as when, his physical concerns will weigh him down too much to give coaches confidence in him playing meaningful minutes. The routes he has to take because of his physical advantages are not outweighed enough by the frame that other players with similar issues have.
Projected draft range: 40-undrafted
Expected role: Pure point guard
Unplayable if: Lack of shooting + athleticism limits negates his playmaking strengths.
Exceeds expectations if: Any scoring bump comes over future years, whether it be rim efficiency popping, or him improving as a shooter. Additionally, if the athletic concerns are overblown, he could be a positive defender.
Videos:
Shot chart:
