2025 Rookie Observation (26): The lower limit of Spanish wing stars may not be that high either?

Hugo González/Spanish team: Real Madrid (La Liga)

Date of birth: February 2006

Birth place: Madrid, Spain

Grade: International player Level 06

Position: Small forward

Height: 198.8cm

Wandspan: 210.2cm

Stand height: 257.8cm

Weight: 101kg

Template: Josh Green with weakened shots Green)

Expected market: Last first round to the second round

National high school students ranking: No rankings for international players

Note 1: Father Paco González and mother Montserrat Peña played for Real Madrid's city rivals during their youth team. His father, Paco, is 203cm tall and has played for some low-level teams such as Guadalajara and Alcalá, and his mother has also played for Alcalá.

Note 2: He completed his debut with Real Madrid's senior team in October 2022, becoming the fourth youngest player in the team's history.

This season's data:

64 appearances, 11.2 minutes per game, 3.6 points, 1.8 rebounds (0.5 frontcourt rebounds), 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks, 0.6 turnovers and 1.9 fouls, shooting percentage of 41.3% (1.2/3.0), three-point shooting percentage of 29.4% (0.4/1.3), and free throw shooting percentage of 76.9% (0.8/1).

Advantages:

As a wing player, Gonzalez's dribble control ability is good. He can sometimes use changes in technology, speed and rhythm to complete breakthroughs. His finishing ability is good. He also has a first-hand throwing shot and occasionally completes shots in some unexpected positions. Gonzalez also has certain ability to move without the ball. He can see the opponent's defense, complete empty cuts and score through empty contacts.

Gonzalez has a very high defensive focus. He has good defense and pressure on the ball holder. His defense switching ability is also good. He has comprehensive defensive ability, and he can even occasionally protect the basket. Gonzalez has excellent mental attributes, his defensive attitude is tough, and he can always maintain full vitality on the defensive end.

Gonzalez has certain passing ability, and his reading and defense ability is also good. He passes quickly and can find teammates on the weak side and share a certain amount of pressure in this regard.

Disadvantages:

Gonzalez's start speed and explosive power are average. At a higher level, he may also find it difficult to score through breakthroughs, and his actions after the confrontation may be deformed. Gonzalez's outside shooting stability is seriously insufficient and his shots are limited. He seems to lack confidence in this regard.

Gonzalez's defensive rebounding ability is not outstanding. He seems to be more comprehensive on the defensive end, but his actual defensive contribution is not that high. We have reason to believe that his upper limit on the defensive end may not be relatively high. Everyone’s minimum expectation for Gonzalez is a 3D wing, but whether it is 3 or D, it seems to be questionable.

Gonzalez's playing time this season is still relatively limited, which has also led to his data being bleak. Whether he can take on more responsibilities and become a better player is also a question mark.

Gonzalez has certain highlights in passing, but the assist-and-turnover ratio is actually very average. It is also an unknown whether he can become a reliable passer as everyone expected.

Expected market:

Gonzalez's draft market is very confusing. Some people are very optimistic about his prospects and think that he will be selected in the middle and late stages of the first round. Some people are not optimistic about his prospects and think that it will be difficult for him to realize his so-called talent in the future, or that his ability may be seriously overestimated by everyone. Therefore, many people think that he may only be worthy of the last second round pick. Overall, Gonzalez's draft market is actually gradually declining, and such a trend will also make everyone feel a little worried. It is not ruled out that his draft market will continue to decline in the future.

Personal prediction:

Personal belief that Gonzalez may be an overrated player. Gonzalez did show some bright spots in his limited playing time, but the problem is that Gonzalez did not show enough ball-holding and offensive ability, and it is obviously difficult for him to take on more responsibilities on the court. In this way, everyone's expectations for him are 3D type wing players. Gonzalez's figure meets the standards, and his performance on the defensive end is acceptable, exceeding the ordinary level, but at least at this stage his defensive ability is definitely not at the top level. In addition, his stability outside the three-point line is seriously insufficient, so such performance makes people feel even more worried. No matter how you look at it, there is a big gap between him and a qualified 3D wing. It seems that he has not met the standards of NBA rotation players at this stage, and it is doubtful when he can reach the level. Maybe it will take another 2-3 years before we can judge whether he can become a qualified NBA player. Therefore, choosing him with the first round pick seems a bit more or less risky.

Target teams:

Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder

Those who consider Gonzalez's type of players should be mostly rebuilding teams. The Hornets, Nets, Raptors, Wizards and Jazz basically meet this feature. One more player who looks very exciting and looks like a high ceiling is also a gamble. Especially for the Hornets and Nets, they have a lot of draft picks to squander, and they just gamble. As for the Thunder, they actually have a choice of a player-like history, and maybe they will choose Gonzalez unexpectedly in the draft.