Charlotte Hornets: Willy Hernangomez should start the rest of the season

The Charlotte Hornets have been getting a lot of production from their young center coming off the bench.

Things may be looking down for the Charlotte Hornets right now, but Willy Hernangomez has been a symbol of hope as of late. With Cody Zeller probably missing the rest of the season due to a knee injury, Hernangomez will more than likely see a lot more playing time.

Ever since the All-Star break, Hernangomez has been buried in the depth chart and has received minimal minutes at times. It’s hard to receive minutes when a quarter of the roster is composed of centers.

None the less, since Zeller has been out of the starting unit, it has prompted the Hornets to play both Frank Kaminsky and Hernangomez off the bench, while Bismack Biyombo starts. The only thing wrong with this is that only one of our active centers has been balling out lately.

More from Swarm and Sting

• Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
• Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
• Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
• Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
• Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?

Hernangomez recently scored a new career high in points on Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors, while also racking up a new career high in free throws made and  in attempts.

In the past two games, Hernangomez has averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. This may not seem huge, but his stat line is a lot better than his other teammates that are playing his position.

In the past two games, Biyombo has averaged two points and two rebounds per game. On the other hand, Kaminsky has averaged 5 points and 2.5 rebounds off the bench for Charlotte.

These numbers are pitiful and are a prime reason to why the Hornets are currently on a three-game losing streak. I would be surprised if Coach Borrego continues to play the same rotation.

Hernangomez has earned the opportunity to start now since he has proven himself against the Warriors, and the Utah Jazz’s defensive star Rudy Gobert. With Biyombo averaging poor numbers as of late, the Hornets should start Hernangomez.

Hernangomez is more of a pick-and-roll offensive threat to opposing teams, and he offers more on the offensive side of the court for Charlotte. He has also proven to be a better defender than Kaminsky; that is why I would choose Hernangomez over Kaminsky in the starting lineup.

The smart move for any basketball team is to typically go with the player who is on a hot streak. With the competition at the center position currently non-existent because of the poor play, starting Hernangomez is a no-brainer.

It should also be noted that Hernangomez has also received double the amount of playing time in his past two games than Biyombo and Kaminsky. If he is already playing double the amount of minutes, why not start him?

The Charlotte Hornets have a tough task ahead as they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the road on Wednesday night. I would be surprised if the Hornets do not start Hernangomez in this game.