NBA Rumors: Willy Hernangomez Signing With New York Knicks, Reuniting With Kristaps Porzingis

Kristaps Porzingis will now feel more at home in the NBA. According to the New York Daily News, Willy Hernangomez is signing a three-year contract with the New York Knicks. Porzingis and Hernangomez are not only just good friends, but they were also teammates in Europe. Their chemistry should help the Knicks.

When asked about the 22-year-old center, New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek seemed very enthused about the arrival of Willy Hernangomez. Hornacek stated that Hernangomez has an NBA-ready body and several skills already in his arsenal. Hornacek also feels that Hernangomez fits with the Triangle Offense very well.

The New York Knicks were very enamored with Willy Hernangomez. The team went as far as to buy a second draft pick from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks used the 35th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft to acquire the rights to Hernangomez. The next step was convincing him to leave Europe.

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According to the New York Post, Joakim Noah is signing with the New York Knicks. Due to his experience, the former Chicago Bulls star is the favorite to become the new starting center for the Knicks. He will be replacing Robin Lopez, now with the Bulls, in the starting lineup.

No one really knows how Willy Hernangomez is going to do in the NBA. He might struggle to keep up with the pace of the league. Then again, he might take after Kristaps Porzingis and show enough promise that he will be viewed as a future foundation piece for the New York Knicks.

The most realistic expectations of Willy Hernangomez is that he can win the backup center position behind Joakim Noah. If he can provide approximately 20 minutes a night of solid play, then the New York Knicks should be more than pleased.

Robin Lopez is now with the Chicago Bulls, as reported by SB Nation. Though he didn’t produce a ton of highlights, those within the NBA know how productive he was for the New York Knicks. They knew how vital he was to the success of last season.

Robin Lopez was extremely valuable to Kristaps Porzingis. Lopez did all the dirty work so that the Latvian rookie could shine. Lopez had no qualms with boxing out opposing big men in the NBA. That paved the way for Porzingis to grab a good amount of rebounds last season.

Willy Hernangomez would be wise to study tapes of what Robin Lopez brought to the table for the New York Knicks. It would be a smart move for him to emulate what Lopez did. Management views Kristaps Porzingis as their future franchise player, so being someone that can help Porzingis would make Hernangomez much more valuable to the people in the front office.

Derrick Rose was traded to the New York Knicks earlier this offseason, as reported by ESPN. Though the former Chicago Bulls point guard has suffered a multitude of injuries over the past couple of seasons, the move brought excitement back to the Knicks fan base.

New York Knicks president Phil Jackson has made some seemingly smart moves in free agency. In addition to the trade for Derrick Rose, he also managed to acquire Brandon Jennings and Courtney Lee. Jackson also made sure to retain the services of Lance Thomas, a very valuable bench player.

Willy Hernangomez is entertaining a seemingly great situation with the New York Knicks. If he can develop into an NBA player quickly, then the situation becomes even greater. Hernangomez has arrived.

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