Atlanta Hawks rookie Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira made perhaps the biggest splash on 2013 NBA Draft night by sporting the biggest hairdo of the evening, earning him a spot forever on an infamous list that also includes Joakim Noah and Al Farouq-Aminu as having some of the worst style ever as a Lottery pick.
But the still only 21 year old native of Spain should be recognized for much more than just big hair as he was one of the lone bright spots for the Hawks this Summer.
In the Las Vegas Summer League, while his squad went a disappointing 1-4, Nogueira had his own block party, averaging 2.4 blocks in only 21 minutes per game. In his first two games alone, he swatted away a combined 9 shots, while crashing the boards effectively, averaging a respectable 6 rebounds per game.
With Josh Smith now playing for the Detroit Pistons, the shot-blocking International phenom would have fit nicely alongside All Star Al Horford in the frontcourt, but Nogueira has decided to return to Spain to play another season in Europe to further season his offensive gain and add some bulk to his still rather thin 7’0 and 200 lb frame.
Along with “Bebe”, Hawks 2nd Round pick Mike Muscala from Harvard, who was also seen as an immediate impact player will also be playing in Spain to get ready for the ’14-’15 NBA season.
Luca Nogueira 2013 Summer League Block Party:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
