The Argentine basketball is in luck today.
Juan Vaulet (1.98m and 19 years old) was selected as the 39th pick in the draft by the Charlotte Hornets, the franchise owned by Michael Jordan, to then be traded to the Brooklyn Nets for two future draft picks. The New York team will have the player's rights for at least two seasons, with the following two being subject to different team options.
The arrival of Vaulet, as they should say both him and the franchise, would be the eighth for an Argentine in the best basketball league. Jorge "El Gigante" Gutiérrez was the first to be selected in 1988 by the Atlanta Hawks, after him came Hernán Montenegro (that same year by the Sixers) and Marcelo Nicola (1993, Rockets). But it was necessary to wait until 2002 to see an Argentine player debut, and the spotlight fell on a future four-time NBA champion: Manu Ginóbili. The shooting guard was drafted in 1999 by the San Antonio Spurs of Gregg Popovich, but he did not make the definitive leap until 2002 after a brilliant stint in Italy and the silver medal in the Indianapolis World Cup.
In addition, he would be the first player to arrive directly from the Argentine League since 1988. And he does it from Bahía Basket, the team from Ginóbili's city, after overcoming a serious injury (left foot injury) that left him sidelined for 15 months, delaying a progression that has not only been seen in the Argentine league (7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds), but also with the lower categories of the national team, both in the U17 and U19. At the moment, he is with that last squad a few days away from starting the Greece World Cup where he will face Turkey, Spain, and China.
It was there where he followed and found out about his draft selection. "Hearing my name was something emotional, an inexplicable feeling", Valuet said in words collected by his club's website. "But I know I have to improve in physique and shooting". The knowledge of his weaknesses shows the maturity of one of the most promising young players in Argentine basketball who has good size along with speed and jumping ability. Shooting from the perimeter is his weakness: he shoots rarely and poorly, with a certain lack of confidence, just like from the free-throw line. But he has time and space to improve and follow in the footsteps of the greatest from his homeland: Emanuel Ginóbili.