NBA Draft: 4 More International Big Men for No. 51 Pick
2) Guillermo Hernangomez (Sevilla) C
Guillermo Hernangomez of Spain is 6-foot-11 and a fairly big body at 255 pounds. He will be a NBA center, and he is ranked the No. 10 center in the 2015 class.
In Draft Express’ mock draft he is penciled in at No. 45, while on NBADraft.net he is expected to go No. 26 overall (to San Antonio, which would be no surprise, would it?).
The premium placed on centers makes it unlikely he would drop to No. 51 overall when the Magic pick, but stranger things have happened, to say the very least.
Last year in ACB League he averaged 21 minutes per game while posting averages of 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals/blocks.
In Eurocup 2015, he averaged 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds, while shooting 52 percent from the floor. He was one of the best players in the FIBA U-18 Euro championships in 2013, and drew rave reviews for his footwork and agility. NBADraft.net compares him to Felipe Reyes or a “shorter” Marc Gasol.
Hernangomez will be a more traditional back to the basket center, a trend we may see returning to the NBA. He’s physical inside and won’t mind banging with the bigger bodies in the NBA.
He is nicknamed “Willy” and scouts like Rick Pietro cited his savvy and high basketball IQ as tools that will enable him to thrive on a high level.
He has got a lot of the descriptors of Nikola Vucevic, right down to the lack of rim protection, and he likely will not be the greatest pick-and-roll defender due to his lack of lateral foot speed.
That said, this is the second round and he could remain with Sevilla for a while to get more seasoning. He played with Kristaps Porzingis this season, so if the Magic drafted Porzingis it would be far less surprising to see him drafted as part of a package deal.
Pietro also cited he plays as though he is experienced, despite being just 20 years old. That maturity is something we have seen in a lot of European young bigs whose intuitive abilities offensively make them seem like seasoned rookies. Vucevic almost waltzed into big minutes as though he were meant to.
If the Magic took both Porzingis at No. 5 overall and his teammate “Willy” at No. 51, it would be a huge celebration for the teammates.
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