Juancho Hernangomez thread

[Mamba4Goat]

Beas Jr and Johnson got their own so why not Juancho?

He has been a personal favorite buy low target of mine as he just needed opportunity and was buried in Denver even worse than Beasley (had a few health things too though).

Last night he showed a pleasant surprise with defensive communication and he seems like he could be a nice glue guy ultimately. I also like him a ton as a 4 in Saunders system.

[Shaka_Zulu]

How the hell was this dude being basically assistant coach on the court in his debute? And he is not a vet lol, young guy with some experience.

[Klomp]

I'm just glad Dave didn't continue the annoying "Juancho 3, got'cho 3"

[Mamba4Goat]

I'm just glad Dave didn't continue the annoying "Juancho 3, got'cho 3"

That is not annoying!

[Klomp]

How the hell was this dude being basically assistant coach on the court in his debute? And he is not a vet lol, young guy with some experience.

He's got the family genes but add in that he actually loves the game.

[Klomp]

There are a couple things I really appreciate about his game that shone through on one particular play on Saturday night.

1. His movement off the ball. Not just cutting to the rim, but even the slight shifts in positioning on the perimeter to create passing lanes.
2. His ability to finish at the rim with either hand.

The play about 2:30 into the video below....

Watch on YouTube

[Dewey]

There are a couple things I really appreciate about his game that shone through on one particular play on Saturday night.

1. His movement off the ball. Not just cutting to the rim, but even the slight shifts in positioning on the perimeter to create passing lanes.
2. His ability to finish at the rim with either hand.

The play about 2:30 into the video below....

Watch on YouTube

I think he’s a great fit ... he just has to prove he can play consistently. His three’s will become more contested, so his being willing and able to cut hard away from the ball is huge. I seen him cut more in one game than I recall Wiggins ever doing. Amazing how defense becomes victimized when you are hitting shots and spreading them out ...

Also, better athlete than Saric or Bjelica

[TheProdigy]

There are a couple things I really appreciate about his game that shone through on one particular play on Saturday night.

1. His movement off the ball. Not just cutting to the rim, but even the slight shifts in positioning on the perimeter to create passing lanes.
2. His ability to finish at the rim with either hand.

The play about 2:30 into the video below....

Watch on YouTube

I think he’s a great fit ... he just has to prove he can play consistently. His three’s will become more contested, so his being willing and able to cut hard away from the ball is huge. I seen him cut more in one game than I recall Wiggins ever doing. Amazing how defense becomes victimized when you are hitting shots and spreading them out ...

Also, better athlete than Saric or Bjelica

He also sets very good screens to free others up. He seems like the perfect "glue guy" for a team that has a lot of offensive firepower.

[packforfreedom]

both Saric and Bjelica needed the ball in their hands. Herni does not. Plus he is surprisingly good in staying in front of his man and has long arms to contest against bigger players. Seems like a solid defender and good spot up option with an actually good shooting form. Nice pick up!

[TheDominator273]

Juancho is surprisingly athletic compared to what my impression of him was before the Clippers game. Definitely more 4/3 combo than 4/5 which makes him a great fit for a defense that switches 1-4.

[The Rebel]

I have been accused of being the biggest Juancho homer on the planet but I disagree with that. I do think you guys really do not understand what you are getting with Juancho.

One thing, I notice a lot of people talking about him being a PF, and maybe he will grow into it, but he does not have the size or strength to really be an effective PF right now. He is basically a tall SF which can come in handy against taller SFs around the league.

The bad
He has a very high dribble so he struggles to dribble in traffic and to beat his man if his man is a good defender.

He has confidence issues, after a year of dealing with mono and trying to play through a core injury he sustained last January he seems to be a different guy this year.

His guy will occasionally get around him with a good pump fake as Juancho jumps past him.


The good
He is a very good spot up shooter when his confidence is right, he will get hot and make you wonder how anybody could be dumb enough to leave him open.

His energy is huge, he is always flying around, sometimes it doesn't work but usually it does.

He has a good basketball IQ, and is willing to talk to guys and help them make the right play.

He is a solid man to man defender, while he isnt going to shut down top stars they usually don't go off on him either.

He is a very good help defender. Many of the biggest memories of him are blocks at the rim coming off the back side for help defense. He seems to have great timing and just know when help is going to be needed.

Even with his minutes and role constantly changing on the Nuggets he never let it outwardly affect him, he was always pumping guys up and having fun.

He will do the little things sacrificing his body when needed and never complain.


I have compared him to a upgrade Eduardo Najera and still think he can be that guy. For those that remember Najera he was a hustle/glue guy that always had a positive effect on his team and always made the right play despite severe physical limitations such as being to short and not having a good jump. Add a very good spot up 3 and make Najera longer and he would have been a great 5th starter for a team, and I think that is what Juancho will be. The kind of guy who never puts up a ton of box score stats but somehow always makes a few plays when needed and will do the dirty work.

[TheDominator273]

I have been accused of being the biggest Juancho homer on the planet but I disagree with that. I do think you guys really do not understand what you are getting with Juancho.

One thing, I notice a lot of people talking about him being a PF, and maybe he will grow into it, but he does not have the size or strength to really be an effective PF right now. He is basically a tall SF which can come in handy against taller SFs around the league.

The bad
He has a very high dribble so he struggles to dribble in traffic and to beat his man if his man is a good defender.

He has confidence issues, after a year of dealing with mono and trying to play through a core injury he sustained last January he seems to be a different guy this year.

His guy will occasionally get around him with a good pump fake as Juancho jumps past him.


The good
He is a very good spot up shooter when his confidence is right, he will get hot and make you wonder how anybody could be dumb enough to leave him open.

His energy is huge, he is always flying around, sometimes it doesn't work but usually it does.

He has a good basketball IQ, and is willing to talk to guys and help them make the right play.

He is a solid man to man defender, while he isnt going to shut down top stars they usually don't go off on him either.

He is a very good help defender. Many of the biggest memories of him are blocks at the rim coming off the back side for help defense. He seems to have great timing and just know when help is going to be needed.

Even with his minutes and role constantly changing on the Nuggets he never let it outwardly affect him, he was always pumping guys up and having fun.

He will do the little things sacrificing his body when needed and never complain.


I have compared him to a upgrade Eduardo Najera and still think he can be that guy. For those that remember Najera he was a hustle/glue guy that always had a positive effect on his team and always made the right play despite severe physical limitations such as being to short and not having a good jump. Add a very good spot up 3 and make Najera longer and he would have been a great 5th starter for a team, and I think that is what Juancho will be. The kind of guy who never puts up a ton of box score stats but somehow always makes a few plays when needed and will do the dirty work.

We are calling him a PF because that's what he is in our system that entails 1 PG, 3 wings, and 1 center. As a big SF most of his minutes he will end up as our biggest wing on the floor thus be playing PF in our system.

Appreciate the other insight on him though. We are not completely unfamiliar with guys like this who have confidence issues having gone through Bjelica and Saric in recent years who had very similar struggles. Hopefully the 3rd times the charm and Juancho shakes that issue with consistent minutes.

[Klomp]

One thing, I notice a lot of people talking about him being a PF, and maybe he will grow into it, but he does not have the size or strength to really be an effective PF right now. He is basically a tall SF which can come in handy against taller SFs around the league.

As Dominator said, he's gonna basically be a PF, as Covington was. Minnesota's system is different. I'm not even sure Millsap would be a PF here, to be honest.

[minimus]

Juancho is surprisingly athletic compared to what my impression of him was before the Clippers game. Definitely more 4/3 combo than 4/5 which makes him a great fit for a defense that switches 1-4.

Yes, I agree with The Rebel assessment. To me, Juancho is more active than athletic. He can't play full-time SF nor full-time PF. But he has a few skills that make him a good fit here:

* - shooting
* - the experience of playing in Europe and national team, basketball education
* - high motor

He fits well here, the only question is the price.

[The Rebel]

We are calling him a PF because that's what he is in our system that entails 1 PG, 3 wings, and 1 center. As a big SF most of his minutes he will end up as our biggest wing on the floor thus be playing PF in our system.

Appreciate the other insight on him though. We are not completely unfamiliar with guys like this who have confidence issues having gone through Bjelica and Saric in recent years who had very similar struggles. Hopefully the 3rd times the charm and Juancho shakes that issue with consistent minutes.

Obviously you guys will know more about your system than I will, so you may be right, it was just sad watching Juancho trying to stop guys like Porzingus or Al Horford.

The one big difference between Juancho and Saric or Bjelica is that Juancho is a considerably better defender and much more of a hustle player than those 2 guys have ever been. Even a Juancho that hesitates to shoot the ball and then misses will still bring you a positive contribution on defense and offensive rebounding as well as just all around effort.

[shrink]

I have compared him to a upgrade Eduardo Najera and still think he can be that guy. For those that remember Najera....

I always smile when someone uses a comparison to a favorite retired player like this. I probably haven’t thought of Najera in years, but I love those guys that are able to go out and compete against elite NBA athletes, without great athleticism but with plenty of brains and heart.

[minimus]

I have compared him to a upgrade Eduardo Najera and still think he can be that guy. For those that remember Najera....

I always smile when someone uses a comparison to a favorite retired player like this. I probably haven’t thought of Najera in years, but I love those guys that are able to go out and compete against elite NBA athletes, without great athleticism but with plenty of brains and heart.

Oh, yeah! Mark Madsen, Scalabrine are my favorite non stars

P.S. btw Najera in russian sounds like wtf which is why Eduardo Alonso Nájera Pérez was very famous on russian NBA forum

[Mattya]

We are calling him a PF because that's what he is in our system that entails 1 PG, 3 wings, and 1 center. As a big SF most of his minutes he will end up as our biggest wing on the floor thus be playing PF in our system.

Appreciate the other insight on him though. We are not completely unfamiliar with guys like this who have confidence issues having gone through Bjelica and Saric in recent years who had very similar struggles. Hopefully the 3rd times the charm and Juancho shakes that issue with consistent minutes.

Obviously you guys will know more about your system than I will, so you may be right, it was just sad watching Juancho trying to stop guys like Porzingus or Al Horford.

The one big difference between Juancho and Saric or Bjelica is that Juancho is a considerably better defender and much more of a hustle player than those 2 guys have ever been. Even a Juancho that hesitates to shoot the ball and then misses will still bring you a positive contribution on defense and offensive rebounding as well as just all around effort.

I'm pretty sure the team will use him at both forward spots. I just don't think they have had a PF to fit into this new system that could body up to the Horford types.

[Dewey]

I have been accused of being the biggest Juancho homer on the planet but I disagree with that. I do think you guys really do not understand what you are getting with Juancho.

One thing, I notice a lot of people talking about him being a PF, and maybe he will grow into it, but he does not have the size or strength to really be an effective PF right now. He is basically a tall SF which can come in handy against taller SFs around the league.

The bad
He has a very high dribble so he struggles to dribble in traffic and to beat his man if his man is a good defender.

He has confidence issues, after a year of dealing with mono and trying to play through a core injury he sustained last January he seems to be a different guy this year.

His guy will occasionally get around him with a good pump fake as Juancho jumps past him.


The good
He is a very good spot up shooter when his confidence is right, he will get hot and make you wonder how anybody could be dumb enough to leave him open.

His energy is huge, he is always flying around, sometimes it doesn't work but usually it does.

He has a good basketball IQ, and is willing to talk to guys and help them make the right play.

He is a solid man to man defender, while he isnt going to shut down top stars they usually don't go off on him either.

He is a very good help defender. Many of the biggest memories of him are blocks at the rim coming off the back side for help defense. He seems to have great timing and just know when help is going to be needed.

Even with his minutes and role constantly changing on the Nuggets he never let it outwardly affect him, he was always pumping guys up and having fun.

He will do the little things sacrificing his body when needed and never complain.


I have compared him to a upgrade Eduardo Najera and still think he can be that guy. For those that remember Najera he was a hustle/glue guy that always had a positive effect on his team and always made the right play despite severe physical limitations such as being to short and not having a good jump. Add a very good spot up 3 and make Najera longer and he would have been a great 5th starter for a team, and I think that is what Juancho will be. The kind of guy who never puts up a ton of box score stats but somehow always makes a few plays when needed and will do the dirty work.

Appreciate the fair and resonable comments both ways. If this was a draft pick prospect (in theory) and you watch that video from the LAC game, he would seem like a pretty good player to target. Seems willing and able to bring a variety of screen setting, shooting, and help defense to the court. If he proves to be a reliable rebounder and passer, that's even better.

He does has a very slender build and it's easy to see how that could influence durability through a season grind. Good team players that bring athleticism and 3-point shooting skills don't grow on trees, and with that said, it would obviously be nice to find a consistant role for him to contribute in the rotation.

[Killboard]

Both Bjelica and Saric were good hustlers and likely better rebounders than Juancho. What Juancho has in his favor is how he defends with his feet. He is more nimble than both of those guys and is not easy to drive trough him. He is in the middle of those two as a 3pt shooter.

Thinking about that, I was a little pissed Saric was traded because we had his RFA rights last draft. Now we got a similar talented player rights for half of the late pick we got back from Roco, and still Culver potential.

Awesome.