CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Charlotte Hornets have a lot of salary-cap room this summer and a lot of needs.
Where does reserve center Willy Hernangomez fit into all that?
Hernangomez will be an unrestricted free agent in July after 2 { seasons with the Hornets. He's had little impact since the Hornets traded two future second-round picks (2020 and 2021) to acquire him in the winter of 2018.
That's showing signs of changing. After playing in just 13 of Charlotte's first 42 games, Hernangomez has played in 15 of the next 18. Some of that was experimentation, as coach James Borrego and general manager Mitch Kupchak evaluate the roster. However, it's also some progress in addressing Hernangomez's weakness _ defense.
"He's putting more effort in at the defensive end; that's the area of most concern for me," Borrego said. "The video and the numbers demonstrate to me that he's making a bigger impact at that end of the floor than he has in the past; challenging more shots at the rim."
Spaniard Hernangomez has size (6-foot-11), rare strength, a gift for scoring and a knack for rebounding in traffic. That was a pleasant surprise to Steve Clifford, Hernangomez's first Hornets coach _ how frequently Hernangomez came away with 50-50 balls in a jumble of players.
"You can't teach that, and Billy has it," Borrego agreed. "When he gets his hands on the ball, most times he's going to get it. Tenacity _ it's a skill set we value on this team."
