The promising guard is now set to make his EuroLeague debut
Jean Montero steps into Valencia's backcourt
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5 Mins read
Valencia Basket has secured the signature of one of the top young point guards in Europe, with Jean Montero joining the club on a three-year deal.
Montero (1.88 meters, 21 years old) comes off a strong season with MoraBanc Andorra in which he was named the Spanish League's Best Young Player for the second straight year. He averaged 15.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals in 28 Spanish League games.
Montero, who represented the Dominican Republic at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, led the Spanish League in steals last season, while he was also second in scoring and PIR (20.0) and eighth in assists last season.
Montero began his youth-team career in his native Dominican Republic, suiting up for Club Mauricio Baez, before moving to Spain in the summer of 2019 by signing for Gran Canaria. Upon arriving in Europe, he made an immediate impression in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament and also with Gran Canaria's B team in the Spanish third division.
The following season, 2020-21, Montero impressed enough to make his first appearances for the first team, playing four times in the BKT EuroCup and five times in the Spanish League. However, his minutes were very limited and he spent the majority of his time with the B team.
Things changed with a move to Real Betis Baloncesto during the 2022-23 campaign. With a chance to play a prominent role, Montero starred and did all that he could to help Betis avoid relegation, even scoring a game-high 19 points on the last day of the season against Real Madrid, but it wasn't enough. He averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 16 Spanish League games. Montero then signed with Andorra last summer.