Guillermo "Willy" Hernangomez, formerly of the Charlotte Hornets
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DENVER, COLORADO - JANUARY 31: Willy Hernangomez #9 of the New Orleans Pelicans plays against the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter at Ball Arena on January 31, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Between 2016 and 2023, Spanish international center Guillermo “Willy” Hernangomez was in the NBA. Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015 NBA Draft, his rights were immediately traded to the New York Knicks, whom he joined after one extra year of seasoning in his home country with Real Madrid.
Eighteen months with the Knicks would follow before a February 2018 trade to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Johnny O’Bryant and two future second-round picks (later used on Saben Lee and Isaiah Livers). From there, after two and a half years with the Hornets, Hernangomez signed as a free agent with the former Hornets, the New Orleans Pelicans, with whom he would spend his final three NBA seasons.
Even when he was in the NBA, though, Hernangomez was reported to be unhappy with his role. Almost never a starter, coming off the bench in 296 of his 348 career NBA games, Hernangomez was a decent player at the NBA level, but never quite broke through, and was often the subject of rumor as a result. And yet despite having returned to his native Spain since then, it seems he has not been much happier there, either.
Controversial Move Between Spanish Giants
Instead of returning to Real Madrid, who declined to use their matching rights, Hernangomez’s path back to Spain saw him join their great rivals, Barcelona. In Spain, such an act is immediately incendiary to many. Nevertheless, Hernangomez made the switch anyway, and played 69 games across all competitions for Barca last season, averaging 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest.
Those numbers, though, were a decline on the 11.4/5.5 he had averaged in 2023-24, his first season in Barcelona. That, plus a disappointing season for the team in which they could not advance beyond the quarter-finals of either the EuroLeague or the ACB, combined with long-standing concerns about Hernangomez’s defense to bring out the boo birds.
He heard them. And they hurt him. But not just him. Speaking with Pablo Lolaso on the La Bombilla podcast, Hernangomez described how the criticism of his play, and particularly his defense, hurt both him and his family.
“I had a tough moment of losing love and passion for basketball this past season”, said Hernangomez. “I didn’t feel happy or comfortable with what I was doing. Sometimes, things happen that aren’t cool. I’m a very calm person, and to make me jump, I’ve had to put up with a lot,”
“That said, my poor partner has certainly had a lot of trouble at home.”
Hernangomez’s Defensive Limitations
While objecting to much of the criticism, believing it comes from people who “don’t know,” Hernangomez accepted that the defensive end of the court is his weakest area.
“It’s true that I have to improve a lot on defense,”, he said, “and people get really into pick-and-roll defense, not one-on-one defense. In the low post, I’ve defended Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, and I’m very good in that area. In the national team, I defend well because we all have our [expletive] together, we all defend well, people are dedicated.”
“I’m working to be faster defensively, more versatile defensively, and give more to Joan Peñarroya at Barça. I know I’m good offensively.”
Across his NBA career, Hernangomez averaged 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 15.0 minutes per game, shooting 53.3% from the field and 71.3% from the free throw line. He averaged 8.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a rookie, finishing fifth in that season’s Rookie of the Year voting (ultimately won by Malcolm Brogdon), and would have two good seasons with the Pelicans, in which he posted win share marks of 2.9 and 3.2 respectively. The NBA knew Hernangomez was good offensively, too.
Just as has been the case with Barcelona, the scoring talent was always there for Willy. The defense was always the issue. A large man, but not a fast one, Hernangomez struggles to defend any area of the court other than the one he is standing in. And in a better-spaced, faster-paced modern game, this is not as easy to accommodate from a center as it once was.
Criticism, though, must not be unbridled, no matter who it is from. Even for those who have made it the defining factor in their life, or who have been lucky enough to carve a career from it, basketball is just a game. And if a player’s family is being hassled over it, no one could blame them for thinking of walking away.