Future Watch: Willy Hernangómez Rookie Basketball Cards, KnicksFuture Watch: Willy Hernangómez Rookie Basketball Cards, Knicks – So just who is this Guillermo “Willy” Hernangómez that collectors are starting to see in recent 2016-17 Panini NBA basketball card products? 

The 22-year old center from Madrid, Spain has played in the EuroLeague since 2011. He was selected by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft with the 35th overall pick.  He stands 6’11” and 240 pounds and is very athletic for his size.

Willy Hernangómez currently ranks seventhth on the NBA’s Rookie Ladder, a tracking of the year’s top performing rookies. Notes state:

It would have been impossible to imagine a few weeks ago, but Hernangomez is one of the two best candidates, along with Saric, to replace Embiid as Rookie of the Month in the East. Hernangomez is at 11.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in just 22.8 minutes in February along with 56.1 percent from the field. It’s already a relevant conversation because the long All-Star break plus the short month means the Knicks and 76ers each have only four games left in the month. Those 22.8 minutes have improved his season-long average to 15.0, still just 19th in the class.

His recent performance has been a marked improvement and is well above his per game season averages of 6.7 points, 6.1 rebound, 1.1 assists on 16.1 minutes.

To get a better understanding of his skill set and potential upside it helps to look back at scouting reports prior to the 2015 draft. Here is a quote from Draft Express that reads:

In the post, the near 7-footer does his best work before the catch. Able to simply bury defenders under the rim times, he makes things easy for himself inside by being physical. More than just a bully, Hernangomez possesses good touch, uses fakes well, and has a variety of moves he uses to score over either shoulder with his back to the basket. Shooting a solid, but not spectacular 44.7% from the block, he struggles to score over length at times and has plenty of room to tighten up his one-on-one scoring repertoire. Nonetheless, his footwork and the variety of moves in his arsenal leave some room for optimism about his ability to create for himself at the NBA level.

Future Watch: Willy Hernangómez Rookie Basketball Cards, Knicks – The Cards

Willy Hernangómez currently does not have any officially licensed, autographed NBA basketball cards. He does however have base rookie cards in the following products:

It won’t be long before you start seeing bigger hits, including autographs of this young Spaniard with a bright future. Learn more at his NBA Player Profile.

Future Watch: Willy Hernangómez Rookie Basketball Cards, Knicks – Image Gallery

Rob Bertrand

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