Hornets coach Steve Clifford gave a candid scouting report of his center, Willy Hernangomez, who seems to appreciate the brutal honesty coming from his new taskmaster.
Clifford explained in detail about the Spanish center’s need to improve shooting range and defensive reads because he’s “not a high-flier” and said he wants him to be rid of his image as a strictly back-to-the-basket big man. He also hinted at improving Hernangomez’s work ethic.
“If you were in one place and didn’t play much, if you want to play more in the next place, I’d say work harder and kill myself,” Clifford said at the Hornets shootaround at the Players Association’s midtown headquarters. “The reality is he wasn’t playing here for a reason. He’s got to change things.”
Clifford, an ex-Knicks assistant under Jeff Van Gundy, said he told Hernangomez all of it in a chat last week.
For his part, Hernangomez sees a stricter climate in Charlotte than with the Knicks with a chance to better expand his skills.
“He tells you things that’s going on and what he wants,” Hernangomez said of Clifford. “He wants you to improve if you want to play. It’s very clear. Here everybody follows rules, defense and offense. [In New York], it was a little more free. I’m really surprised when I came here to see the difference.”
Hernangomez, 23, requested a trade before Feb. 8’s deadline. He was disgruntled at being out of the rotation after becoming a first-team All-Rookie last season. But Clifford has played him in just nine games, giving him six DNPs. He’s averaging just 4.1 minutes per game
“He’s not up to speed on what we’re doing to play a lot,” Clifford said. “It’s been a little bit of a struggle for him. He’s smart, but he’s not this high-flier, phenomenal, natural athlete able to make up ground. He’s got to be on top of things, especially on the defensive end. If he’s not detailed defensively, he’s not that [athletic] guy.”
While the Knicks’ new regime prides itself on player development, Hernangomez has found the learning environment finer in Charlotte.
“You see my warmups before the game,” Hernangomez said. “With the Knicks, low post, banks. Here I shoot 3s, floaters — a lot more free to do more stuff. Nobody tells you you can’t do it. I think it will be great place for me to keep improving.”
Enes Kanter said the Knicks traded “a young Marc Gasol,” but [Knicks] brass saw what Clifford sees: an old-school, low-post center who doesn’t defend well in space — the NBA’s new mantra for centers.
“To be an every-night player, and I’ve told him this, he’s got to improve his shooting,” Clifford said. “He is right now, in my opinion, a back-to-the-basket player who can pass. But the reality is his passing doesn’t come into play until they have to get close to him and know he’s not going to knock down a shot. And he’s not a knockdown shooter.”
Now here comes the part where he starts living off his teammate's / friend's name again...
Hernangomez hoped to see the rehabbing Porzingis at Saturday’s game. He huddled with Porzingis the night of Feb. 6, after KP returned from his MRI exam with news of his torn ACL. Hernangomez went back to Porzingis’ apartment, calling it “the worst night of my life.”
“It was a special moment between him and me,” Hernangomez said. “I was surprised how positive he was. His mind is right.”
Hernangomez and Porzingis stay in close contact.
“What do you think?” Hernangomez said when asked Porzingis’ reaction to his trade. “His best friend is no longer here.”
https://nypost.com/2018/03/17/willy-hernangomezs-new-coach-gets-brutally-honest-and-big-man-loves-it/
