ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony embarked on a 10-day trip through Europe -- with stops in Germany, France, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro -- to watch some of the best international prospects in this June's 2024 draft, as well as future classes. Here's what he learned.
Ratiopharm Ulm @ Brose Bamberg (Germany)
The first stop was in Germany, where defending BBL champion Ratiopharm Ulm and its trio of NBA prospects played a road game versus Brose Bamberg.
19-year-old Spanish point guard Juan Nunez of Ratiopharm Ulm has drawn considerable interest from the NBA after a blossoming summer as the starting point guard of the Spanish national team at the FIBA World Cup. He's followed that meaningful learning experience with a highly productive season while establishing himself as one of Europe's most exhilarating passers. At 6-foot-4, he's an elite pick-and-roll operator who reads the game and picks apart opposing defenses with surgical precision using both sides of the floor and passing off a live dribble.
Nunez has made strides with his shooting, limited his head-scratching turnovers and elevated his defense, but still has plenty of room to grow. Some NBA scouts have questions about his lack of explosiveness and overall scoring prowess long-term, too. He's a polarizing player with extreme strengths and weaknesses, as some NBA teams say they don't consider him a serious prospect, while others have him firmly in consideration as a top-20 pick.
While Nunez had his weakest performance (3 points on 1-for-9 shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 turnovers) of what's otherwise been a stellar season, his teammate, 6-9, 18-year-old French wing Pacome Dadiet had an eye-opening showing, posting 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 29 minutes -- the longest stretch of action he's seen all season. Dadiet has garnered attention around the NBA for his positional size, solid frame, clean shooting mechanics, extreme youth and budding ball skills. He's a poor defender right now, and doesn't have overwhelming length or explosiveness, but he's still at an early stage of development with room to grow given his age.