The Charlotte Hornets have two picks at the top of the second round, which grants them a lot of flexibility. It’s hard to predict who’s going to be available at that point, but it looks like there are going to be guys that have very defined skill sets. We’ve talked about a shooter in [Chaz Lanier](https://atthehive.com/2025/05/20/hornets-prospect-scouting-report-chaz-lanier/) and a defender in [Adou Thiero](https://atthehive.com/2025/06/05/charlotte-hornets-prospect-scouting-report-adou-thiero/). If they want a slasher with a high motor, Hugo Gonzalez from Spain should get a look.
**Height:** 6’6″
**Weight:** 205 pounds
**Motor, defensive effort, downhill scoring**
Gonzalez makes his presence felt with his motor on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he’s always engaged and plays with a competitive spirit. He makes multiple efforts to close out to shooters and has a great feel of where to rotate when the defense has to shift. He’s active with his hands and feet, which makes him a more disruptive player than his Real Madrid stats would suggest. He has good anticipation to rotate over as a help side shot blocker or to get into passing lanes. He was very foul prone playing with the big boys, but the effort is there.
On offense, the motor powers an active off ball mover and downhill attacker. He’s not a guy that you give the ball to against a set defense and expect him to make magic, but he’s opportunistic when he sees a lane to attack. He can get downhill and is a big time Eurostepper to the point where I’m a little concerned that NBA defenders will just sit on that, but he makes it work for now. He has a great feel for space off the ball and makes timely cuts when his defender loses sight of him. He’s also an above average offensive rebounder for a wing and is always hunting for loose balls.
**Outside shooting, top level production**
Gonzalez’s 3-point shooting is likely going to be his biggest swing skill. He has some positive indicators, like a near 80% free throw percentage and a decent collection of tough makes from three, but the consistency hasn’t been there yet. He shot 27.8% from three in 56 games between the EuroLeage and Liga ACB for Real Madrid this past season. His form looks pretty good and looks like it should lead to more makes, but that hasn’t happened yet. The technique can be a little rigid and unconfident looking at times. He’ll have to tighten things up with the shot. It’ll be hard for him to fully make an impact without it.
Gonzalez has been highly touted for a few years now and has been in the Real Madrid system since he was about nine years old. He’s very very talented, but he hasn’t been able to translate that to production in the pros yet. To his credit, he’s played very well when representing the Spanish youth national teams, but the difference between European youth international tournaments and the NBA might as well be two different sports. Also in his defense, he plays for a Real Madrid team that features nine or ten former NBA players. It’s already hard to earn minutes as a young player on top level European teams, and that Real Madrid roster is an example of why.
The Hornets could use a player with a relentless motor and downhill attacking style to complement some of their more finesse perimeter oriented players. There’s going to be a steep learning curve for Hugo, and admittedly players with his kind of profile seem to rarely pan out, but the talent is worth a swing in the second round. If the shot comes around, Gonzalez suddenly looks like a player with a very well rounded game that can get heavy minutes. We’ve seen the Thunder and Pacers make the finals thanks in large part to gritty, relentless role players that defend for their lives. Gonzalez could be that for whichever team drafts him.
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