Lucas Nogueira, Mike Muscala currently in preseason at Liga Endesa

The Atlanta Hawks drafted Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala in the 2013 NBA Draft but both will spend next season playing in the Liga ACB otherwise known as Liga Endesa in Spain. Nogueira will be in his second season with Asefa Estudiantes while Muscala will be a first year player with Rio Natura Monbus.

The Liga Endesa is made up of 18 teams that play a 34 game season. The league features a winter break at the midway point of the schedule. The top eight teams make the playoffs which is a format that is nearly identical to the NBA's system just shorter. Real Madrid is the league's most successful franchise having captured 22 league titles.

Nogueira played 34 games for Asefa Estudiantes who finished last season with a 15-19 record. He finished with averages of 5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in just over 13 minutes of action. Nogueira originally came to the club as a 16-year old and worked his way up with the junior team. The Hawks traded up to the 16th pick to select Nogueira who went to summer league and averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in five games. The 21-year old could arrive in the NBA as next season.

Muscala was drafted by the Hawks in the second round after four seasons at Bucknell. He finished with career averages of 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds and averaged 18.7 points and 11.1 rebounds as a senior. He also played for Atlanta's summer league team averaging 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Muscala is recording a video diary of his season in Spain.

The Liga Endesa is currently in its preseason schedule and will start regular season play during the middle of October. Peachtree Hoops will be following both Nogueira and Muscala's progress throughout the season.