The New York Knicks have agreed to terms with their 2015 second round pick Willy Hernangomez and Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the New York Knicks agreed to a deal with Willy Hernangomez.
Sources: Knicks reach deal with Spanish center Willy Hernangomez. @WojVerticalNBA report on @TheVertical. https://t.co/JQ0wF8syBD
— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) July 5, 2016
Hernangomez’s brother Juan, a prototypical stretch-four, was a 2016 first round pick of the Denver Nuggets. ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla describes Willy as the opposite, “He’s a big banger, backup 5, backup 4, just a banger.”
Jeff Hornacek had praise for Hernangomez.
“He’s ready to come over here,” Hornacek said. “He had a pretty good year over there in Europe. He’s a big body, skilled; he’s a low-post guy that will fit good in the system.”
Unlike Hernangomez, almost nothing was known about Kuzminkas. Knicks’ fans haven’t been waiting for him to arrive for a year.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas, New York Knicks have agreed to a two-year deal: https://t.co/SGgNvRZoPm pic.twitter.com/ZHLv7E9YnZ
— Sportando (@Sportando) July 5, 2016
What we do know is that Kuzminskas is 26-years-old, he’s played the last three seasons in Spain, and he torched James Harden during the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
This is Fraschilla’s scouting report on the unknown newest Knick.
“He’s an athletic, big wing who can guard multiple positions, so that gives him a chance to play in the league,” Fraschilla said. “He’s always been a below-average outside shooter. But he’s athletic and he’s got a great motor. He’s not exactly Jonas Jerebko, but he’s in that mold. … He’s athletic, he runs, he can jump and can guard 3s and small-ball 4s. He’s got a really good motor; he’s a solid, quality guy who can fit right in and he’ll play hard every day. If he can turn into a Jerebko, this would be a steal for the Knicks. At worst, it’s a good gamble and it fills out the roster.”
