Nuñez will have to go under the knife again after a setback in his recovery from a meniscus tear.
There is bad news from Spain. Barcelona guard and Spurs former second-round pick Juan Nuñez will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery in his right knee after having a setback in his recovery from an operation to fix a torn meniscus, the club announced.
The Spurs selected Nuñez, a highly touted international point guard who developed in Real Madrid’s academy and the Spanish youth national teams, with the 36th pick in the 2024 draft. The idea was to stash the then 20-year-old in Barcelona, which acquired his rights after he had a strong season playing in the German league for Ratiopharm Ulm. He reportedly had an NBA out clause to join the Spurs if they were interested. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan so far.
Nuñez joined a stacked Barcelona team and struggled to get minutes. When he was on the floor, he showed flashes of brilliance as well as some notorious weaknesses. It was later revealed that he had been playing through a knee injury that required season-ending surgery in March and kept him out of consideration for EuroBasket, where Spain disappointed. He spent the summer recovering, played during preseason, and was expected to be an option early in the European season, which starts on September 30.
Unfortunately, there was inflammation in Nuñez’s right knee that didn’t subside with conservative treatment, leaving exploratory surgery as the best option. It’s a procedure that should help figure out what the issue is, which is a good thing in the long term. In the short term, however, it should sideline him for longer and could lead to him struggling to find playing time once he’s healthy. Barcelona got former Spur Nicolas Laprovittola back from injury and signed Argentinian guard Juan Marcos in the offseason. They still have Tomas Satoransky, Kevin Punter, and Dario Brizuela, who’s also recovering from an injury, which he suffered at Eurobasket. Competition for backcourt minutes should be fierce.
Nuñez’s injury, combined with the Spurs’ logjam at point guard, made the jump to the NBA this season impossible, so the news doesn’t really affect San Antonio’s plans for 2025/26. The young floor general is still just 21 years old, so it would be foolish to count him out as a potential NBA player. There was a reason he was considered such an intriguing prospect when he was a teenager, and while he has his detractors, the fact that a Euroleague staple like Barcelona has invested in him shows the talent is still there.
The torn meniscus and this new setback, however, are worrisome. Even if he makes a full recovery and doesn’t lose his already limited athleticism in the process, he’s missing out on crucial developmental minutes. Hopefully, he can return to action soon and get his career back on track, becoming a realistic depth option for the Spurs sooner rather than later.
Category: General Sports
