Charlotte Hornets FIBA Update: Hernangomez wins gold, bronze for Batum
The 2019 FIBA World Cup is over, with Charlotte Hornets center Willy Hernangomez and Spain taking the top prize. Nicolas Batum and France won third place.
Well, the exciting 2019 FIBA World Cup came to an end this morning with Spain defeating Argentina in blowout fashion to take home the gold medal. Willy Hernangomez of the Charlotte Hornets played a key role in Spain’s run to the gold.
While Hernangomez and Spain won the big prize, Nicolas Batum and France came away with the bronze medal after defeating Australia. It was a successful World Cup for both of these Hornets players.
Hernangomez had 11 points and three rebounds in Spain’s win over Argentina, while Batum finished with nine points, six assists and three rebounds in France’s win over Australia. Not too shabby, right?
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Ricky Rubio, who signed with the Phoenix Suns earlier during the off-season, was named the MVP of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He was outstanding and was a huge reason why Spain was able to pull this off.
Throughout the entire World Cup, Hernangomez owns averages of 7.0 points and 3.9 rebounds. Batum, meanwhile, averaged 7.3 points and 2.4 assists.
While those stats don’t exactly jump off the page, both Hernangomez and Batum played key minutes for their respective teams during the World Cup. Big congratulations to both players; this is a terrific accomplishment and one that will mean a lot to them.
Hopefully Hernangomez and Batum can carry this momentum into training camp later in the month and eventually into the regular season. They are both fighting for playing time in Charlotte’s rotation, so it will be important for them to show up and leave an impression on the coaching staff.
Hernangomez is fighting for backup center minutes, while Batum is fighting for the starting shooting guard spot. These are two players to keep an eye on as we get closer and closer to the 2019-20 season, as they could both play important roles for their NBA squad, too.
With the 2019 FIBA World Cup now over, we are now just 21 days away from Charlotte Hornets basketball. Preseason begins on October 6th and the regular season begins shortly after that on the 23rd.
Charlotte will open preseason play against Kemba Walker and the Celtics in Boston and start the regular season against the Bulls at home.
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Willy Hernangomez and Nicolas Batum made the Charlotte Hornets proud with their play during the World Cup. Let’s see if they can keep things rolling and replicate that success during the NBA season.