Scariolo explains his vision for Juan Nunez, mentions pitfalls for young players / News - Basketnews.com

Sergio Scariolo praised Juan Nunez for his performance in Spain's win over Brazil, while pointing out the challenges young players are facing.

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The story of Juan Nunez bears a strong resemblance to his Spanish NT teammate Alberto Diaz. The point guard of Unicaja Malaga was a last-minute addition to La Roja's roster last summer following Sergio Llull's injury.

Juan Nunez

Position:PG, SGAge:19Height:192 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Madrid, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

Diaz ended up winning the EuroBasket with Spain, but for Nunez, the outcome is still to be decided. The formerReal Madrid player, who's currently on a three-year deal with ratiopharm Ulm, has stepped in as a replacement for Ricky Rubio.

Rubio withdrew from the Spanish national team and took a break from basketball last Saturday,citing the need to prioritize his mental well-being. Nunez was a part of Spain's extended roster last year as well, although he missed out on participation in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022.

At the age of 19, Nunez has not only become a part of the reigning European and world champs, but he's actively contributing to the team. In Spain's 96-78 win over Brazil, he finished with 13 points on 4/6 FGs, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

His all-around game might have left some flabbergasted, butSergio Scariolowas definitely not one of them.

"Everyone knows my opinion about Juan," the Italian coach said in the presser.

"We trust him as one of the pillars of our team for the future."

Scariolo didn't hide that certain circumstances regarding Spain's two veteran point guards, Lorenzo Brown and Ricky Rubio, made it possible for Nunez to be in Jakarta with a main role.

"He's responding, so probably he's accelerating the process we were figuring out for him," the coach admitted.

"There's no question that for the next 10-12 years, he's called to lead this team with humility, desire to improve and play for the team, fit in like a franchise player, and be one of the builders of the bridge that we're trying to create for the new guys."

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That chapter of the new generation of Spanish players, including gems like Santi Aldama, 22, received much praise from Scariolo, who appreciates the step forward that those players are taking.

"We try not to have youngsters. If there are any, we have a core that is entering with a lot of personality in the team. They are doing what we asked of them. The challenge of the less experienced player is always achieving consistency in their performance. The moment a young player avoids the big ups and downs, he becomes solid and irreplaceable within the team."

Talking about Nunez, Scariolo said the talented point guard has been able to step in the team the right way and grasp its main values and principles.

"Not only the system but why we are a special team in terms of togetherness and cohesiveness," he clarified.

Having been able to spend an entire month in training camp and learning how the Spanish NT works, including the period of the FIBA windows has made Nunez's work easier.

"It's an environment where friends meet and give everything on the court," the player commented.

Despite the absences of Brown and Rubio, Spain have been able to count on their point guards. In this regard, Scariolo praisedAlberto Diaz, who had 11 points without a single miss, three rebounds and as many dimes. On the other side, Brazil were struggling, as Raul Neto has been injured and will miss the rest of the World Cup, while Yago dos Santos had some questionable decision-making plays as the contest drew to a close.

"Alberto made a great match, supporting Juan in his difficult moments on defense," Scariolo said, pointing out how effectively Diaz is complementing his younger teammate.

"He's been fantastic. Juan has also played very well. It is logical that they are two players with very little experience in such a competition."

On the other hand, Scariolo wasn't too happy with the eight offensive rebounds Spain conceded in the first half.

"There were three to Caboclo and five to the rest of the team," he added.

"In the second part, we solved the problem with a dominance in total rebounds. For quite a long time, we have had a very solid control of rebounds."

The four-time EuroBasket winner wasn't impressed by Willy Hernangomez's presence either. The FC Barcelona big man had 14 points and 5 rebounds, but faced a lot of problems against Bruno Caboclo in the paint.

"He didn't play his best game," Scariolo commented. "He has played many great matches with Spain and he will surely play very well in the next ones."

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