Just a week away from the NBA draft, as teams make final evaluations and players rise and fall on boards, one name that might fly under the radar is 19-year-old Hugo Gonzalez.

Born in Madrid, Spain, Gonzalez, whose parents played professionally in Spain, opened the door for the 6-foot-6 NBA prospect to strive in his game, and soon become an NBA player. 

“When you look back on this draft and re-rank it in five years, he’s going to be one of those guys you see that might have gone outside the lottery and shouldn’t have,” A source told The Pulse.

Gonzalez, who made his ACB debut with Real Madrid at just 16 years old, took his junior team to the Liga EBA in 2023 and 2024, winning the Adidas Next Generation Tournament with Real Madrid U18. He earned back-to-back MVP honors, complementing the team’s success.

In that tournament, Gonzalez scored 23 points in the championship game and averaged 17.5 points, with 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists throughout the tournament.

At just 15, Gonzalez helped his squad reach the finals at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022, earning All-Star Five recognition at the 2023 FIBA U18 EuroBasket, where Spain finished second with a silver medal.

Gonzalez, listed as one of the best wing players to come out of Spain over the past decade, will more than likely become the first Spanish player to be drafted in the first round since 2021, ending a three-year drought when both Usman Garuba and Santi Aldama were drafted in 2021.

A source close to Gonzalez said he will have a significantly higher ceiling than the prospects projected ahead of him, due to his experience of playing internationally with grown men since the age of 16 with Real Madrid. 

This is the same club that has sent talent like Luka Doncic, Bogan Bogdanovic, Nikola Mirotic, Sergio Rodriguez and many more to the NBA. 

This past season, Gonzalez saw limited playing time with Real Madrid, and as a result, scouts and NBA teams haven’t had much to evaluate, leading to a quiet trajectory in Gonzalez’s draft placement.

“Teams have to do their due diligence in looking beyond this season, because if you see the final games of the regular season when he played 10 to 15 minutes a game, he produced, “ A source said. “And that’s not all, teams, because some teams have done their work on him.” 

Gonzalez, who has a first-round projection, could go as high as the top 10 and indeed in the lottery, depending on which teams have done their homework. 

He’s more than just a three-point and defense guy, a source told The Pulse, and with his 3-point shot developing, his game is limitless. 

Gonzalez not only brings offensive upside, but with his combination of athleticism and strong defensive skills, he could genuinely be the sleeper of the 2025 NBA draft class. 

“I have had NBA teams tell me his NBA player comparison is Christian Braun, and some even tell me Manu Ginobili,” A source said.