After struggling with illness and inconsistency in recent seasons, Juan Hernangomez should see a larger role this season with the Denver Nuggets.
Heading into his third season in the league, Juan Hernangomez is still a mystery to many. His struggles with consistency and illness have prevented him from obtaining a regular spot in the Denver Nuggets‘ rotation, but all of that may change this season as a result of the team’s offseason moves.
With the Nuggets trading away Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried (alongside Darrell Arthur) while promoting Will Barton to the starting small forward spot, there will be additional playing time up for grabs for some of the Nuggets wings and bigs this season, with Hernangomez slotted in that group.
However, a consistent backup role won’t simply be given to the 22-year-old, as he will have to compete with Torrey Craig, Trey Lyles (who is comfortably ahead of Hernangomez), Tyler Lydon and possibly Michael Porter Jr., given his health situation.
When it comes to the 87 games and 1,119 minutes Hernangomez has played in his brief NBA career, the question still begs: what does Denver have in the European forward?
During his rookie season in 2016-17, Hernangomez showed flashes of why many thought he could become the team’s power forward of the future, as he knocked down 40.7 percent of his 3-pointers and showed enough awareness and agility to keep up with NBA-caliber bigs and wings.
That shooting allowed Mike Malone to get away with playing the Spaniard at small forward for stretches, although he lacks the defensive mobility and physical tools to guard the majority of opposing wing players. At 6’9″, Hernangomez can be put on some opposing small forwards, but his future position will be at the 4, where his limited agility and lateral movement can’t be exposed as much.
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On the offensive end, Hernangomez regressed from beyond the arc in his second season, hitting just 28 percent of such shots. If he can’t turn his shooting around to hit 3-pointers at least on a league-average rate, it’s unlikely he’ll ever be able to carve out a featured role in the rotation, especially with Trey Lyles, who is just 22 years old, ahead of him in the rotation.
Lyles is the ideal version of what Hernangomez could become, as he knocked down 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers this past season while also displaying a variety of offensive moves and solid court awareness. Depending on what Lyles commands during his upcoming contract negotiations and what Hernangomez can show in a bigger role this season, the Nuggets will have to make tough decisions at the power forward position, and that’s before mentioning Paul Millsap‘s $30 million team option for the 2019-20 season.
Throughout Hernangomez’s two seasons, the results have been mixed to say the least. One year he’s knocking down 3-pointers at an above-average rate, the next he can’t hit anything beyond the arc. However, he has consistently shown craftiness in the open court and a willingness to cut when playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, two gifted passers at the center position.
While the numbers have not been pretty surrounding Hernangomez’s impact on the team (the Nuggets have been significantly better when he is off the court), the young big still has an opportunity to thrive in the upcoming season.
While the depth at power forward will likely push “Juancho” to play at the 3 for the majority of his minutes (for which he has played 23 percent of his career minutes at the position), he has the tools and offensive awareness to excel in Denver’s offense. The defensive side of the ball is where there are serious concerns, but it’s not like the Nuggets are going to be stopping anybody anytime soon.
If Hernangomez can stay healthy, hit his 3-pointers at a league-average rate (or better) and continue to display that craft on the offensive end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him lock down the backup small forward spot in the rotation, occasionally sliding over to the 4 to unlock more creative offensive lineups.
However, if the soon-to-be 23-year-old can’t improve his shooting, stay healthy or integrate himself in the team’s offense, it’s likely that he will stick to the end of the bench or be moved in the coming seasons.
Let’s hope it’s the former, as a healthy Hernangomez at the top of his game makes the Denver Nuggets that much more dynamic and explosive as they look to return to the playoffs.