Denver Nuggets select Juan Hernangomez 15th overall

The Denver Nuggets have selected Spanish international Juan Hernangomez with the No. 15 pick.

Hernangomez , 20, averaged an impressive 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds last season for Estudiantes in Spain’s top professional league and shot 36 percent from 3-point land. It’s unclear if Hernangomez will come over to the NBA immediately or spend another season in Spain.

Strengths

The Spaniard can score from both the perimeter and block, and is comfortable in both the pick and roll  and pick and pop.  His shot is most deadly in spot-up situations and out of the pick and pop, and he improved his 3-point shot considerably last season.

Hernangomez reads the defense quickly in those actions where he’s the screener and is capable as a shooter or can blow by his defender on his way to the rim.

He is fluid, but not an amazing athlete. Hernangomez can finish above the rim and does show good verticality defending the basket. The 6-foot-9 playmaking four brings a fiery energy to every game he plays and competes for rebounds and has great hands in traffic.

Hernangomez does a lot of things well offensively and though his defense needs work, he plays with effort on that side of the ball. These attributes should keep him on the floor for heavy minutes as an important role player down the road.

Weaknesses

The biggest knock on Hernangomez is his play on the defensive end of the floor. He’s a bit of a tweener at 6-foot-9, as he can get exposed by quicker players on the perimeter and bullied by big men in the post. His body needs to fill out a bit more if he’s ever going to be a passable one-on-one post defender.

His shot can betray him at times and although Hernangomez is a right handed, he releases the ball at times from the left side of his face, which can lead to bad misses. He also can’t shoot his jumper on the move at this point and if he’s run off his spot and doesn’t have a clean driving lane, he tends to throw up a bad shot or turn the ball over.

More to come…