The Atlanta Hawks went with Lucas Nogueira in the first round of the NBA draft and after things have settled down over the summer, it appears that he will play in Spain next season.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Nogueira likely will play in Spain this season despite playing well in the summer league in Vegas. The team wants him to develop more into an NBA player and he will play with Asefa Estudiantes Madrid. The team likely felt that he would be better off after getting Elton Brand, Paul Millsap, Pero Antic and Gustavo Ayon on the roster over the summer and already having star Al Horford.
"We are very encouraged by what we've seen from Lucas this summer," general manager Danny Ferry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday. "Going back to Estudiantes will allow him to continue develop while also playing meaningful minutes against very good competition. We will closely monitor his progress as he works towards his goals as a basketball player."
Schroder is from Germany and the team selected him with the number 17 pick after he played in the Beko League last season and Ferry signed him to a contract. The point guard has a ton of potential and one Boston Globe writer has already compared him to Rajon Rondo, writing that the two have a similar style of play and that the point guard could emulate him on the court. Gary Washburn went on to say that the two have a similar confidence when he plays and that his aggressive defense makes him a comparison to Rondo on the Celtics.
Last season Schröder averaged 11.9 points and 3.3 assists in 24.7 minutes for New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig and he could end up being the starting point guard for the Hawks depending on what happens over the summer. The team has Shelvin Mack and they are also going back and forth with Jeff Teague, as he received an offer from the Bucks for four-years and $32 million, but the team matched the offer.
The 19-year-old Schroeder was taken with the 17th pick and that came right after the team selected Brazilian center Lucas Nogueira and now the two international stars could be a foundation for the Hawks going forward. Schroder has already started to play in the summer league and he had a solid line of nine points on 4-for-12 shooting, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in Atlanta's 75-71 win over Miami.
The 6'1" point guard played professionally in Germany since 2009 and has more pro experience than most rookies and that should help him get acclimated to the league. Last season he shot 42.4% from the field, 40.2% from the 3-point arc and 83.8% from the free-throw line and if he keeps those numbers up, he should get some solid playing time. ESPN is reporting that the Hawks matched the four-year, $32 million offer from the Bucks for Teague, meaning that he should be around next season and will be one of the stars of the team after Josh Smith left. Teague scored 14.6 points and 7.2 assists last season and has increased his scoring in each of the last three years.