Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Season Grades: Hernangomez makes his case for minutes
Willy Hernangomez had some good stretches for the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19, showing that he deserves an expanded role next season and beyond.
With starting center Cody Zeller missing 33 games due to injury this season, one would have thought that Willy Hernangomez would have played quite a lot for the Charlotte Hornets during the 2018-19 season.
That wasn’t always the case, as the Hornets rotation expanded often, which means we saw a sprinkle of Hernangomez, along with some appearances from the likes of Bismack Biyombo and Frank Kaminsky.
In the end, Hernangomez was an afterthought at times, but he managed to get into 58 games during his third season in the NBA, playing just 14.0 minutes per game. The big man from Spain averaged 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds.
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The reason why Hernangomez has received inconsistent playing time throughout his career is because of his defense. It’s been his glaring weakness since entering the league, and that was the case again this season.
Hernangomez, however, he has shown some improvements. I do believe that he got better as the season went on, and I also believe that he always gives effort on the defensive end, which leads me to believe that he should have played more for the Hornets this past season.
He even showed signs that he may be able to stretch the floor for the Hornets in the future, making a career-high 15 three-pointers on the season. It’s not much, but it’s something, right?
Hernangomez is always going to put up numbers. It doesn’t matter if he gets 10 minutes or 30 minutes, he’ll be a walking double-double threat because he hits the defensive and offensive glass consistently and finishes extremely well around the basket.
It’s just the defense, man… That’s where he is lacking, and I am sure Hornets fans will be hoping he continues to make improvements on that end during the summer.
When looking at his 2018-19 season, he had some good moments, and he had some bad moments. He scored a season-high 22 points while shooting 14-15 from the foul line against Golden State on March 31st, but the Hornets lost that game by 47 points.
He followed that performance up with a 15 point outing at Utah, but then was pulled out of the rotation for two of the final five games of the season. It’s just tough to get into a rhythm with inconsistent minutes like that.
With all of that being said, let’s get into this and grade Hernangomez’s 2018-19 campaign, and then take a look at his future with the club.
WILLY HERNANGOMEZ. C+. . C. Charlotte Hornets
Well, a C+ for Hernangomez, which is completely fair with his performance this season. I’m eager to see what kind of improvements he makes over the summer, and if he can earn a permanent spot in the rotation.
Per 36 minutes, the guy averaged 18.7 points and 13.8 rebounds. It was surprising to see the team not go to him as the backup center more often despite his defensive limitations. I don’t know what the roster will look like next year, but there’s a chance he’ll see more playing time next season.
His salary for next season is not guaranteed, but I would expect the Hornets to bring him back. He’ll hit free agency after the 2019-20 season, so he’ll need to have a better season in order to draw interest as a free agent.
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Overall, I think Hernangomez deserved more playing time this season. Depending on the moves made during the off-season, he could be in line for a bigger role. He showed glimpses of what he can do during the 2018-19 season for the Charlotte Hornets.