Willy Hernangómez ends a season to forget. The loss of the Pelicans in the play in against the Thunder confirms the goodbye of the New Orleans franchise, which is forced to go to the corner of thinking and to reconsider its future as a project. Last year, the first round of the Conference with two games stolen from the Suns left an optimistic aftertaste in an entity that went for CJ McCollum to forget about the draft and fight to compete. This season, the intention was the same: but the system and the future of the Pelicans goes through a man named Zion Williamson, who simply cannot be counted on. Another injury, the long wait that followed, the recovery processes and the little information about his condition have taken their toll on a team that gave its theoretical star the maximum rookie extension that he will begin to receive next year and that will keep him tied up. to New Orleans until 2028 at a rate of 194 million dollars.
That’s too big a gamble for a Zion who spends most of his time injured. You mortgage your future, you do not leave behind your past and you suffer permanently in the present. fighting for that play in steadily, but with a very low ceiling and a very high floor. With no direction or direction, just the hope that one day the man you gave everything for will come back from dry dock and play basketball. When Zion was healthy, the Pelicans became leaders of the Western Conference and everything was happiness. The star, selected for an All Star that he could not play, lasted 29 games. And good bye. A very poor way of conditioning the season and that has not been accompanied by adequate explanations. A month ago, the only thing that was known is that it was unlikely that this course would return. And effectively it has been like that. As of April 13, the Pelicans will play no more this season. Zion hasn’t done it since January 2. Anyway.
None of this affects Willy Hernangómez. The eldest of the pair of brothers has lived a season to forget. And, on the way to 29 years, his future is uncertain in an NBA that waits for no one, especially those who don’t get opportunities from their teams. The pivot, MVP of the last Eurobasket, has been officially ostracized and has barely played 12.1 minutes per night in 38 games, two of them as a starter. Since his second season with the Hornets (2019-20, the one with the coronavirus and, therefore, one in which he presumably could have played more) he did not play so few minutes per game. His space in Willie Green’s rotation has been shone by his absence and has remained so even with the loss of Zion, who spent several minutes in the center position. AND, although Jonas Valanciunas is untouchable and Larry Nance has a defensive profile that Willy lacks, having to fight Jaxson Hayes (who has had really bad moments) for being the third center of the team is something incomprehensible.
Willy’s defensive problems have been a constant that has accompanied him (or pursued him, depending on how you look at it) throughout his career. But His offensive production and rebounding ability are optimal qualities that should allow him to have a place in a team that, given his position, he can afford to try other things. Vary. Change. And more if you have the MVP of the last Eurobasket in your ranks: in the continental tournament there were also Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic or Giannis Antetokounmpo, among others. Jonas Valanciunas faced Willy with Lithuania in the round of 16 and went home. Although, in reality, they all went home. All but the Spain of Willy, Lorenzo Brown and Sergio Scariolo. That she prevailed, she consummated the match and won a historic medal. And gold, of course. A result that doesn’t seem to have given Willy enough credit to definitively establish himself in a rotation.
The future, uncertain
The only thing left to know is what the future holds for us. Willy has averaged 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds, quite a prolific output for his short time on the court.. But he is almost 29 years old (he turns May 27), he hasn’t played anything since March 27 and there are many months and a very long wait until the World Cup, which doesn’t start until August 25. A very long wait for a player of his category in FIBA basketball, who will not play any official match until then and who will barely have training and friendlies prior to the big event to get in tune. Something that will not be very complicated given his physical commitment. But that will leave him without game rhythm, something very important for any basketball player and that he has not been able to fully develop throughout the season, but now he is going to see how he disappears completely.
Now let’s see. Willy has a year ahead of him that is a team option and that, if the Pelicans do not exercise, he will make him a free agent for 2023-24. A possible return to Europe cannot be ruled out and much has also been said about the same case in his brother Juancho, who was cut by the Raptors and has not been on a basketball court since February 26. The Old Continent would always be an option, but Willy will surely speed up his options to continue in the NBA, which he reached in 2016. It is there where he has wanted to be in recent years and the place where he has fought so hard to find a final hole. Of course, he needs an opportunity for it. And the fact that they clipped his wings at the best moment of his career, with an MVP under his arm, It is still a symptom of the vision that is had in the North American competition of the FIBA tournaments. In a few months Willy’s future will become clearer. The chances of him. Until then, have to wait. It is what it is.