The 2018 NBA Manifesto
Juancho Hernangomez
SF/PF - 6’9, 230lbs - 22 years old - 2 years of experience
This was a very poor season for Hernangomez. He began the year ill with mono, got his way back in the rotation hoping to build on the momentum he had built up after finishing his rookie campaign well, but never did. Over the course of the season, Trey Lyles rode in and took it away from him. And to that, Juancho had no answer.
Going backwards in virtually all statistical categories, the most obvious regression was in his jump shot. The best part of Hernangomez’s rookie season was the 40.7% three-point shooting he put up on a good volume of attempts, but that disappeared this season. The lack of volume and rhythm due to disjointed minutes will factor, but being billed as a shooter like he always has, the shots will need to go in.
If we write off Hernangomez’s campaign as a lost year and instead look back to the player he was as a rookie, we see a good shooter and floor runner who knows how to get open for shots. That’s about it for now. If he can play small forward full time, the rebounding rate that is a negative as a power forward becomes a positive at the three – not a strong player and struggling with physicality, Hernangomez does at least crash the glass, and a rebounding and shooting three man works if he can defend the perimeter, itself another concern. But if Hernangomez has to join the queue of power forward options, he might struggle to ever be a rotation player for the Nuggets again.
Player Plan: Two years of rookie scale salary remaining. Exercise year four’s option but this will need to start happening for him next season.
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SF/PF - 6’9, 230lbs - 22 years old - 2 years of experience
This was a very poor season for Hernangomez. He began the year ill with mono, got his way back in the rotation hoping to build on the momentum he had built up after finishing his rookie campaign well, but never did. Over the course of the season, Trey Lyles rode in and took it away from him. And to that, Juancho had no answer.
Going backwards in virtually all statistical categories, the most obvious regression was in his jump shot. The best part of Hernangomez’s rookie season was the 40.7% three-point shooting he put up on a good volume of attempts, but that disappeared this season. The lack of volume and rhythm due to disjointed minutes will factor, but being billed as a shooter like he always has, the shots will need to go in.
If we write off Hernangomez’s campaign as a lost year and instead look back to the player he was as a rookie, we see a good shooter and floor runner who knows how to get open for shots. That’s about it for now. If he can play small forward full time, the rebounding rate that is a negative as a power forward becomes a positive at the three – not a strong player and struggling with physicality, Hernangomez does at least crash the glass, and a rebounding and shooting three man works if he can defend the perimeter, itself another concern. But if Hernangomez has to join the queue of power forward options, he might struggle to ever be a rotation player for the Nuggets again.
Player Plan: Two years of rookie scale salary remaining. Exercise year four’s option but this will need to start happening for him next season.