Willy Hernangomez wasn’t a regular fixture this season for the Charlotte Hornets, but when he did play, he had solid results.
It’s kind of easy to forget about Willy Hernangomez. He’s not a permanent rotation guy, playing just 31 games this past season, but when he does get on the court, he gives decent minutes for the Charlotte Hornets.
With Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo taking the bulk of the minutes at the center spot, Willy has often been used sparingly, mainly playing in times where the outcome of the game has long been decided, for better or worse.
More from Hornets News
- 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
- 3 Areas that the Charlotte Hornets should see improvement in for 2023-24
His minutes per game went down from 14 last season to 12 this year, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but that’s nearly 15% of his playing time taken away. Whether it’s simply due to what Head Coach James Borrego wants out of his rotations or what he sees in Willy, it’s a bit disappointing to see.
By all accounts, he’s kept up what production he made from last year, with some numbers going down. His scoring went down by a point from 7.3 points to 6.1. His total rebounds went down from 5.4 to 4.3. His field goal percentage went up to 53%, but his three-point field goal percentage plummeted from 38% last season to just 23% this year.
This is all to be expected with decreased playing time, of course, but his PER (player efficiency rating) of 19.2 is the highest on the team, meaning when he is on the floor, he’s getting a lot out of the time he does have.
Unfortunately for Hernangomez, he might not be wearing a Charlotte Hornets uniform next season. He made $1.6 million this past season, but his contract is up, making him an unrestricted free agent. Judging by his decreased playing time, I would assume he won’t be re-signed.
Which I think is a shame, really, but perhaps the coaching staff feels as though he’s not a fit with their scheme. Then again, if they can have him back for cheap and the Hornets decide to part ways with either Cody or Biz, he could be a more prominent fixture in the lineup.
Either way here’s hoping he can improve and find some added playing time somewhere because I do think he brings some nice skills to the table. If his time in Charlotte is done, then we here all wish him the best.
Let us know if we got the grade right. We’ll continue to release more player grades in the coming weeks. As usual, keep an eye on the Swarm and Sting for everything Charlotte Hornets.