The New York Knicks' European connection

New York Knicks rookie Willy Hernangomez locked horns with Atlanta’s Dwight Howard as the two headed up court during a Sunday matinee game at Madison Square Garden, and you could see the impact the rookie was having on the Hawks’ All-Star center. Both Hernangomez and Howard had been battling all day, but this play had particular significance for those Knicks fans in attendance who had the opportunity to see the two battle.

After out-hustling Howard down the floor, Hernangomez was in perfect position for an offensive rebound, leaving Howard no choice but to swing a vicious right hand at Hernangomez’s jaw, stopping the play. It was a frustrated move aimed at Hernangomez for simply outplaying and outworking the more talented Howard — the kind of effort that has endeared players to the raucous Knicks faithful, who promptly responded with a rousing standing ovation.

It’s plays like that, along with a deft touch around the basket offensively that has built up so much excitement around the young Spaniard early in his career.

“I really like what I’m seeing so far, ” said long-time NBA scout Scott McGuire. “First off, they have (European scout) Kevin Wilson and he’s as good as anyone I’ve every worked with and he’s as good as it gets in the NBA. What the European kids do just makes sense to me. They don’t get in each other’s way and they have a knack for playing together.”

The “they” McGuire is referring to is the Knicks’ European trio of Hernangomez, Kristaps Porzingis and Mindaugas Kuzminskas.

In the game against the Hawks, with the Knicks leading 24-20 to start the second quarter Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek started Porzingis, Hernangomez and Kuzminskas in the front court and the trio responded by going on a quick, mini 6-0 run stretching the lead to 30-20 with Carmelo Anthony (who would score a game-high 31) and Derrick Rose both on the bench. The Knicks were without Joakim Noah (illness) so the spark to start the quarter and extend the lead was exactly what the Knicks needed as they went on to take a 46-41 lead at halftime and never looked back ultimately winning the game 104-94.

Obviously, the league already knows about Porzingis, the 7-foot-3 Latvian who lit the Detroit Pistons up for a career high 35 points last Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. He’s playing heavy minutes and the results have been spectacular following an outstanding rookie year last year. With an array of offensive tools, Porzingis is already averaging over 20 points per game (20.2) while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. His 15.4 PIE at Madison Square Garden shows how much he loves the bright lights of Broadway.

While the sky is the limit for Porzingis, the Knicks as a whole have struggled to be consistent to this point. Integrating Kuzminskas and especially Hernangomez has allowed the Knicks to extend leads, particularly at home, during the important rest periods of Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, getting them ready to close games out in the fourth quarter. Kuzminskas has split minutes with fellow reserves Lance Thomas and Maurice Ndour at the small forward position off the bench, but when the matchup suits him, Hornacek hasn’t hesitated to play the slighter Lithuanian whose game could best be likened to a lighter version of the Denver Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari, without the post-up game.

Kuzminskas doesn’t do anything that jumps out at you other than the fact that he never stops moving on either end of the court. He’s a league average 3-point shooter at 37.5 percent and is always a threat to score off cuts. He lacks the strength at this point to be a consistent minutes player but he’s been instant offense off the bench averaging 16 points per 36 minutes and 22.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per 100 possessions according to Basketball-Reference.com. In terms of game action Kuzminskas, 27, had his biggest impact off the bench in a 110-96 win at home against the Brooklyn Nets. Despite scoring just 5 points he was all over the floor finishing with a +23 for the game in just 17 second half minutes.

Hernangomez, who played with Porzingis on Baloncesto Sevilla in Spain’s Liga ACB and was acquired on the same night the Knicks drafted Porzingis via trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, have been impressive against some of the game’s best big men. He’s truly been a perfect compliment when playing with Porzingis in his 10 appearances, but has also shown the propensity to anchor down the team’s second unit defensively, while adding a somewhat surprising knack for finishing around the basket.

“With Hernangomez, you have to be careful sometimes with young players because sometimes you don’t play a player enough to see if he CAN’T play,” McGuire said. “But what he certainly can do is pass the ball. His passing reminds me of Luke Walton and he has more to has offensive game than Walton did. because he’s much bigger.”

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Hernangomez, 22, is averaging 14.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per 36 minutes and judging from his frame and physical ability to play they game it’s not unrealistic to think he can be a 30+ minute per game player sooner than anyone would have anticipated. His 29 minutes against the Hawks Sunday was his most of the young season, surpassing his 24 minute effort in a blowout loss in Boston. Moreover, he’s averaging 19.7 points and 16 rebounds per 100 possessions in Jeff Hornacek’s up-tempo new modern offense that is being implemented under the watchful eye of Phil Jackson.

Hernangomez is a limited offensive player and will be until he learns to consistently knock down shots in pick and pop. The interior scoring and rebounding have been impressive, as has his pick-and-roll game both offensively and defensively, but the biggest thing that has jumped out to many observers, including myself, is that his passing has the potential of reaching elite NBA levels.

“Hernangomez reminds me of a more mobile Marc Gasol,” said Coach Nick Hauselman, President of BBallBreakdown.com. “He hasn’t really been able to flash much of an offensive game besides crashing the boards, setting great screens, and especially making good passes.”

As a team, the Knicks have struggled defensively, currently sitting 28th in the NBA in defensive efficiency, and the most glaring issue from last year is the team’s in ability to close out possessions on the defensive end. They are just 27th in defensive rebounding (32.9 per game) while giving up a fourth-worst 11.8 offensive rebounds per game, per TeamRankings.com. With a 22 percent defensive rebounding rate, you can expect that Hernangomez will begin to see more and more time if the Knicks big free agent signing this off season, Joakim Noah, and the rest of the frontcourt doesn’t start to do a better job on the boards.

What’s clear thus far this season is that the Knicks have tapped into the resources in Europe and quickly added young, efficient front court players who have helped solidify their bench. With all the heat that Jackson receives on a daily basis in New York in regards to his Triangle offense, savvy fans understand Phil’s legacy may just have been supplanted on that June night in 2014 when he landed both Porzingis and Hernangomez.

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The New York Knicks’ European connection

By Tommy Dee | Nov 23, 2016