The New York Knicks remain winless after two games this season and missing from their starting lineup is talented second-year center Willy Hernangomez.
Willy Hernangomez finished last season with what many critics believed to be a stranglehold on the starting center position heading into the 2017-18 season. It’s surprising to see the Spaniard not only lose his starting job, but cut completely out of the New York Knicks‘ rotation after two games.
After two games this season, Hernangomez has logged a meager two minutes total of game action for the Knicks. He is currently listed third on the center depth chart behind newly acquired starter Enes Kanter and veteran big man Kyle O’Quinn. Kanter, a proven low-post scoring threat, has the experience while O’Quinn will be more focused on defense off the bench.
Hernangomez being labeled as the “odd man out” is a shock to many Knicks fans considering the breakout rookie season he put together last year. He earned the Rookie of the Month award in April of last season on the way to All-Rookie First team honors, posting averages of 8.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He was also invited along with good friend Kristaps Porzingis to the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge game during NBA All-Star weekend back in February.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek hasn’t really given away any indications of changing his starting lineup after two straight losses to open the year. The problem for New York hasn’t been with their big men, as both O’Quinn and Kanter have done decent work in both games. The main reason to play Hernangomez would be to simply keep his confidence up and continue building for the future during this rebuilding season.
Another key reason to start Hernangomez is to keep their franchise player Kristaps Porzingis happy moving forward. Porzingis shared his thoughts on his good friend’s benching with reporters after their recent home loss to the Detroit Pistons.
"“I think so. He deserves it, But we have a lot of big guys on the floor and I understand everybody’s fighting for those minutes. And not everybody is going to get what they deserve. And it is what it is.”“I know he’s in a tough spot right now where he wants to play and he worked hard all summer, He was on the national team and now he obviously loves basketball, he wants to be on the floor every moment. I’m trying to talk to him to make sure he has his head up and doesn’t focus on the bad things, but focus on the things he can do better. And that way, prove that he needs to be on the floor, and we need him to be on the floor. And that’s it. So, as a close friend, I’m trying to talk to him and make sure he has his spirits up.”"
As Porzingis continues to speak highly of Hernangomez, the Knicks are still trying to figure out how they let a 21-point lead slip away at home against to Detroit.
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The team will be back in action Tuesday night against Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics possibly an opportunity to get Hernangomez some real action this season.