Why is Nobody Talking About Willy Hernangomez?
In the Knicks’ five February games, Joakim Noah’s hamstring injury has opened time in the rotation for Willy Hernangomez. Hernangomez is averaging 23 minutes per game in those five outings, capitalizing on his opportunity and showcasing his potential as a crucial building block for the team moving forward. He has expanded on the impressive performances he delivered in previously limited time, and shows flashes of incredible potential while averaging only 15 minutes per game.
As a 22 year-old rookie, Hernangomez is one of New York’s most efficient players, and they play their best basketball with him on the floor. On offense, Hernangomez mixes a balance of finesse and touch around the hoop with bruising strength, along with excellent screens and brilliant passing, all while threatening the potential of a three-point shot. His defensive principles are sound; he can rebound well, and aligning him with Kristaps Porzingis creates a formidable rim-protection unit.
In almost every category, Hernangomez is statistically comparable to the rookie seasons of the best passing big men in today’s NBA. Not only do these three chosen centers pass the eye-test in terms of their passing ability, it also manifests statistically (see left).
Willy’s similarity to his fellow Spaniard Marc Gasol is striking. They boast almost identical FG%, FT%, assist %, turnover %, block %, steal %, fouls per 100 possessions, and both have a 112 offensive rating and 108 defensive rating (in their rookie seasons). Hernangomez has a higher rebounding rate and player efficiency rating, while Gasol drew more fouls.
Of the four centers above, Hernangomez has had the most efficient rookie campaign with a PER of 18.5, an even more impressive feat considering his usage percentage is the second-highest of the group. His assist rate is only lower than that of DeMarcus Cousins, and he had the best rebounding rate of the four. He is posting the best win share per 48 minutes (tied with Gasol), and has the highest FG% among the group. Granted, these players started the majority of their rookie seasons, and thus faced stiffer competition. Nonetheless, Hernangomez has had a rookie season that compares favorably to some of the best centers in today’s NBA, a generally positive sign.
Willy’s impressive production has not only come in limited minutes. In fact, when he is exposed to more playing time, his productivity increases. Hernangomez averages a double-double when he plays between 20 and 30 minutes, and posts an offensive and defensive rating that would outclass him among the previously mentioned centers. Furthermore, this is not solely individual success, as the Knicks are +7.3 points per 100 possessions in those games.
The Knicks’ success with Hernangomez on the floor extends across the team, and provides a glimpse of context into who the Knicks should build around moving forward. Of Knicks players with over 400 minutes played, Hernangomez has the highest net rating (1.2), and the team’s best defensive rating (101.9) through February 13th. When Hernangomez is on the floor, the Knicks have their highest overall rebounding %, and play at their highest pace. Hernangomez is the Knicks’ center for the future, and that fact becomes more apparent when you consider his play next to Kristaps Porzingis.
Of the Knicks eight two-man lineup combinations that produce a positive net-rating, Hernangomez appears in four of them. The most intriguing of those combinations, when viewed in the context of the future of the Knicks, is the pairing of Porzingis and Hernangomez. While Porzingis may best be suited as a center in a few years, he recently told ESPN the following:
“I am a 4. I’ve been playing 4 my whole NBA career. Moving to the 5, I’m comfortable with it. I feel like a lot of times I have an advantage over a 5 offensively. Sometimes, it’s tough for me defensively against a big 5, but I think as I get stronger I’ll be able to play the 5 more and have even more advantage playing from outside against a 5.”
In December, when asked about Porzingis playing center, Jeff Hornacek told Bleacher Report that it may not be the Knicks’ best option right now:
“Sometimes the problem is when we take those guys out,” he said. “Our protection at the basket isn’t as good. It puts a bigger emphasis on our guys outside to have to stop the penetration, not let guys get in there. KP can block shots in there, but his man is then doing stuff on the weak side, so I think we’re better in the long run when we have two big guys back there, KP and somebody else, defensively.”
Porzingis is the prototypical stretch-five, however, the stats show that his chemistry with Hernangomez produces remarkable results that are not simply beholden to the dance floor.
In 286 minutes, the Knicks are +5.6 points per 100 possessions with Porzingis and Hernangomez on the floor together. Those lineups are also excellent defensively, as that combination boasts a 99.5 defensive rating. If extrapolated across the entire team, that mark would be the best defense in the NBA. They are also efficient offensively, shooting a 52.1% effective field goal percentage and a 56.3% true shooting percentage, both marks of top-10 offenses. For context, the Celtics, the eighth best offense in the NBA, has an eFG% of 52.6% and a TS% of 56.7%. The two of them will prove to be a formidable front court for a long time, and their production at such a young age is something Knicks fans can hold onto as they have struggled since Christmas.
Hernangomez is an excellent screen-setter, and uses that ability to rotate defenses off-balance, which often results in easy buckets. Watch below as he runs the floor hard and sets a high screen pulling the big onto Jennings. The center showing on the ball allows for Kuzminskas to cut to the block for an easy layup.
Willy always runs the floor hard and has impeccable touch around the hoop, a combination that often results in transition layup opportunities.
Hernangomez has shown the ability to find cutters in pick and roll, and is an excellent passer in tight spaces. Below, LeBron falls asleep on Kuzminskas and Willy finds him for an easy layup after setting a high screen that forces Thompson’s attention off the rim.
Below, one again sees his impressive ability to find cutters in close quarters. He sees Lee as he begins to back down Love, then spins over his left shoulder to create the passing angle and hits Lee on the run for a layup away from the contest.
On the play above, Hernangomez is set up in the corner as the set begins. He’s attempted four corner threes this season and missed them all, however he is 3/7 on his other attempts beyond the arc. Regardless of his low volume, teams respect his shooting ability and tend to close out hard when he gets the ball in the corner. He’s proven to be a effective distributor in those situations and sets up open threes when given the chance.
Hernangomez has incredible touch with his left hand, and can take opposing centers off the dribble in both directions. Here, he faces up Brook Lopez and uses a hesitation move to create space for a left-handed floater in the lane.
Hernangomez has an impressive post game with his right hand. He can finish with his back to the basket, off the glass, with a finesse floater, or through second-chance opportunities.
Hernangomez has a bright future, and is a building block for the Knicks foundation in a time where they need as many promising young players as they can find. His chemistry with Kristaps Porzingis dates back to their time together in Spain, and has played particularly well with the Knicks other younger pieces in Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Justin Holiday. He compares favorably against some of the best big men in the NBA in their younger years, and has been a weapon on offense despite his inexperience. His development will be one to observe in the coming years, and he has the potential to develop into one of the best two-way centers in the NBA. One thing is for sure: it won’t be much longer until people know the W in Willy is pronounced with a B.
