Willy Hernangomez Battled Nikola Jokic To A Draw
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2022 Eurobasket MVP Willy Hernangomez scored season-high 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to help the New Orleans Pelicans finish off a 121-106 home win over reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets. Jokic might have poured in 32 points to go along with 16 rebounds but the one-on-one matchup between the European stars was basically a draw.
Coach Willie Green had to find another option on the low block to slow down Jokic. Jonas Valanciunas battled early foul trouble and asking Williamson to take on the challenge was too great of a risk. Jokic would tower over Larry Nance Jr., who was kept in the small ball five role. Jaxson Hayes is a taller stretch four still learning defensive nuances.
So Green called up Hernangomez. Zion Williamson was not worried about having to go deep into the bench against one of the Western Conference's top-seeded teams. Hernangomez simply steps up when needed.
The Pelicans won by 15. Hernangomez was a +20 on the night with 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block to round out his stat line. Jokic got Valanciunas in foul trouble but Denver could not keep Hernangomez off of the free-throw line. 10 of his 12 points came from the charity stripe.
Hernangomez does the little things to help his team win even though he has yet to play more than 20 minutes in a game. He has logged more than 12 minutes just twice but is always ready. Coach Green says he gets "that look like I wanna play" several times per game from the hyped-up bench option.
Williamson admitted that he learned about getting credit for 'tap out' rebounds from watching Willy earn those extra possessions. He also flirts with double-doubles every night he gets at least 15 minutes. In fact, he averages 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds when getting at least 15 minutes.
Williamson said of Hernangomez after a home win over the Raptors last week, "He be doing that on purpose. Willy sometimes misses shots just to get the rebound. He does that thing where, and I didn't learn this until last year, where somebody misses a shot and you like bat the ball out and someone else gets the ball, that's still your rebound."
The 2015 second-round pick kept the Nuggets honest down low and gave the Pelicans room to work around the arc. Just watch this play from just before halftime. It lead to a Naji Marshall weak-side three-pointer but Willy was doing work in the pick-and-roll action and attracted attention from Marshall's defender.
The Spanish star gets respect from his peers when on the court. His per-36 averages of 20 points and almost 15 rebounds would have him starting on a team without championship aspirations. Going into his eighth year, Hernangomez is known as one of the most positive teammates in the NBA stretching back to his time with the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets.
It seemed out of character when he made the news from the sidelines for liking social media posts advocating for him to get more playing time. His most recent public direct message to the fans stated, "...never too high, never too low..."
As for these Pelicans and the chance to get on the court for meaningful minutes, Hernangomez said after beating the Nuggets, "Those guys are my family, my brothers. I said to (Zion) it was like back in the day ('20-21) when you and I played together on pick-and-rolls. It's been really fun to play with Z again."
The reserve center is under contract through next season at just under $2.6 million per year. There is almost no reason to include Hernangomez in a trade except to free up a roster spot. The salary is practically inconsequential in the trade market. Having someone ready to step up at a moment's notice and produce NBA starter-level numbers on a per-36 basis is invaluable.
Read More Pelicans News:
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- Trey Murphy III Making 2nd Year Leap To All-Star Weekend
- Three-Point Threats From Brandon Ingram Prove Lethal
- Zion Williamson, Pelicans Go 'Prehistoric' To Defeat Raptors
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