The New York Knicks continue to work out prospects to target in the second round, and Willy Hernangomez reflects on his rookie season.
With exactly two weeks left until the 2017 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks continue to work out potential second-round picks.According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, the Knicks auditioned Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss and Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame this week, among others.
Williams-Goss, a 6-foot-4 point guard, is projected by DraftExpress in their latest mock to be taken by the Knicks with their second of two second-round picks (No. 58 overall). Phil Jackson would like his intelligence and playmaking ability in the triangle offense, but a lack of three-point shooting is a concern.
Blossomgame measured at 6-foot-7 during the NBA Draft combine last month and projects as a combo forward. DraftExpress has him ranked as their 49th best prospect in the top 100, going with the 54th overall pick to the Phoenix Suns.
Per Begley, New York was impressed by the workout from Houston’s Damyean Dotson. He “shot well and showed versatility on the defensive end.” The Knicks could use both of those things. DraftExpress has Dotson 64th in their top 100, going undrafted.
Isaac Hamilton of UCLA worked out for the team on Wednesday. Like Dotson (23), Blossomgame (23), and Williams-Goss (22), the 23-year-old Hamilton’s a collegiate veteran. Begley points out Hamilton “fits the mold of the tall guard that Phil Jackson has shown a preference for in the past.”
Last but not least, there’s Washington State guard Ike Iroegbu. He’s “an athletic 6-2 guard who is known as a strong defender.”
If you were forced to find a positive in the 2016-17 season for the Knicks, one of the first ones would be the surprising play of rookie center Willy Hernangomez.
The Knicks traded for Hernangomez on draft night in 2015, he stayed in Europe for a season, and fans waited impatiently to see him.
Known best as Kristaps Porzingis‘ teammate, not much was expected from him in 2016-17. Hernangomez showed everyone by leading all rookies in double-doubles and finishing second in rebounding, field goal percentage, and PER.
However, the 23-year-old tells Yaron Weitzman of Slam Magazine that he wasn’t always confident things would work out this well for him.
Before Hernangomez even saw the court in the NBA he had an offseason workout with Porzingis, Russell Westbrook, and notorious low post bruiser Enes Kanter.
The rookie walked away from that workout with doubts. It wasn’t until he played the Oklahoma City Thunder later in the season that he truly felt like he belonged.
“I saw how much I was able to keep up with them,” the 22-year-old Madrid native says. “After that I was able to start being more aggressive, to change my goals.”
Per Weitzman, Hernangomez says this summer “he’ll work on increasing foot speed and pushing his shooting range out toward the three-point line, to keep up with the schematic changes happening in the League.”
“I’m still very young,” Hernangomez says. “There are a lot of areas I need to improve.”
Elite Sports NY’s Chip Murphy writes about the rises of Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell and why the Knicks are interested.
Elite Sports NY’s James Simpson explains why the Knicks should go after the great Chris Paul in free agency.
