To Piero Guerrini on “Tuttosport”, Matteo Spagnolo told of his long American summer, which culminated in the call with the 50th overall pick in the NBA draft and the following Summer League with the Minnesota Timberwolves: “It was intense and exciting. I left to do the whole predraft process, first in Los Angeles and then in Chicago. Then I started with the workouts with the various teams. It happened to do an audition in the morning in one place, take the plane and do another. I went back to Italy and spent the night of the draft at home. It was long, I was called at 6.30 in the morning, crazy, an absurd emotion. I found myself despite the sleepless night jumping off the couch anyway. I understood that there were possibilities of being chosen. But now that the draft has passed, it is clear that it was a starting point, not an end point. From here on we need to grow and a lot. There is a way to go ”.
Technically, the Summer League was a good test: “One of the most formative experiences of my life. A continuous discovery. An almost unreal world. You have to get used to that kind of game, which is different. Much faster, more one-on-one, more athletic, with a lot of 3-pointers and play in transition. The average shot has almost disappeared. There are aspects in which I have to improve, in particular physically, but even if there are not many foreign point guards in the NBA, I work to be able to stay there. With coach Finch we talked about my style of play, my origins, my future plans: we focused on what to improve during the year “.
An opinion also on the choice to sign with Dolomiti Energia Trentino: “I spoke both with the Timberwolves and with Real Madrid with whom I contracted and we decided it was the right company to grow, in an excellent team”.
However, Spanish is aiming high for the medium-long term future: “The personal goal is to reach the Euroleague or the NBA after this season. The important thing is to get there ready to stay, that is, not to go back after a year. My reference continues to be Luka Doncic, it will be for the path in Real, but I have followed him since its beginnings. It’s incredible”.
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