How a lighter, stronger Willy Hernangomez shook up his summer for the Charlotte Hornets

Something big had to happen for center Willy Hernangomez to divert from his summer plans with the Spanish national team.

The massive makeover of the Charlotte Hornets’ basketball operation qualified as big. Spaniard Hernangomez, traded to the Hornets last winter, arrived in Charlotte over the weekend for minicamp practices and Las Vegas summer league. He thought it imperative to absorb as much as he could about new coach James Borrego’s system.

“To be honest, it was a hard decision to say no to my national team, my country,” Hernangomez told the Observer Monday. “I feel like for me, for my future, it was more important for me to be here with the new coaching staff.”

The general manager who traded for him, Rich Cho, is gone, as is his previous coach, Steve Clifford. But the shakeup also means opportunity: The Hornets plan to trade veteran center Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets once the NBA’s new fiscal year starts Thursday. The Hornets will get back another center, Timofey Mozgov, but all the change essentially means an open competition for minutes.

Cody Zeller figures to have the inside track to start at center. But Howard’s departure probably means a larger role for Hernangomez, which is precisely what he wanted when he asked the New York Knicks to trade him.

Hernangomez has lost about 8 pounds since the season ended, according to Hornets assistant Jay Hernandez, who will coach the summer team. He’s also working to gain strength.

Hernangomez, entering his third NBA season, is a known quantity as a low-post scorer. Beyond that, Clifford was impressed with Hernangomez as a rebounder, particularly in a crowd under the basket. In his 22 games with the Hornets, Hernangomez averaged nearly a rebound for every two minutes played.

That could be valuable with Borrego looking to raise the Hornets’ pace and create more scoring opportunities in the first eight seconds of a possession.

“You can’t get out and go (on the fast break) unless you have somebody willing to get in there (in traffic) and has an idea of positioning and timing” for the rebound, Hernandez said. “And has an idea of getting the outlet out quickly, run the floor and go make the play.”

It took about a month last season after the trade for Hernangomez to fit in, to establish with the coaches he would put in the work to earn their confidence and resulting playing time. He finished strong and that has carried into the summer; Hernandez traveled to Madrid to work with Hernangomez for about a week and came away impressed.

“His body fat was great; just eating right and living right,” Hernandez said. “He was excited to be here (for summer league). You don’t see that all the time for guys going into Year III. We’re going to put the ball in his hands and make some plays. I want to see him roll (to the rim) and just be an efficient basketball player.”

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 5:39 PM with the headline "How a lighter, stronger Willy Hernangomez shook up his summer for the Charlotte Hornets."