New York Knicks Midseason Grades By Position: Center

Willy Hernangomez was brought stateside by the Knicks this past offseason. He had previously been playing in Spain, where he and Kristaps Porzingis had been teammates before Porzingis joined the Knicks. The two are now reunited and form a promising frontcourt duo for the Knicks.

Hernangomez has been brought along at a relatively slow pace by the Knicks. He has inconsistent minutes and has been held out of eight games. That is something that should stop happening. Despite the limited action, Hernangomez is productive when he is on the court.

Despite averaging only 13.4 minutes per game, Hernangomez averages 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He shoots 54.8 percent overall from the field and shows promise for developing a jump shot. He has made 46.7 percent of his shots from between 10-16 feet away from the basket and even has three three-pointers on the season. He also shoots 70.7 percent from the foul line, so the shooting tools are there.

He has also proven to be a solid team defender. The Knicks defensive rating with him on the court is 100.6; with him off the court it is 110.5. While the Knicks offensive rating also improves with him off the court, the net rating is much better with him on the court than off;+2.8 compared to -4.8.

There is really no reason that Hernangomez shouldn’t see more time going forward. Like fellow European NBA rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Hernangomez is showing more and more confidence as the season goes on. He should receive more minutes as a result.