This summer, Juancho Hernangomez followed through on a promise he made to himself 13 years ago.
The now 24-year-old remembers September, 2006 well. Hernangomez was 11-years-old, already in love with the game that he’d later make a living playing and passionately cheering on La Roja as Spain was in hot pursuit of their first World Cup gold medal.
Spain was an underdog at the World Cup that year. They had never won a medal at the World Cup, let alone the gold but breezed through Group B before topping Serbia and Montenegro and then Lithuania in the first two knockout rounds. Spain eked out a narrow one-point win over Argentina in the semifinal and went on to blow Greece out in the gold medal game.
Back in Madrid, Hernangomez’s hometown, pandemonium ensued.
“When they got back from the championship they were heroes,” Hernangomez told DNVR. “I remember that nobody believed in us and we won it. It’s really tough to do it. I didn’t know if were going to make it again.”
Hernangomez vowed that summer that he’d do whatever he could to return Spain to the international basketball mountaintop. This past September, he did just that, helping Spain to their second World Cup gold. Hernangomez started for Spain at small forward all tournament, played over 23 minutes per game, averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 44% from 3.
“To play with the national team makes me so proud,” said Hernangomez who has his gold medal stowed at his mother’s house due to his penchant for misplacing his valuables. “Great guys do it every single summer and I grew up watching them. That gold medal is something that’s going to be forever.”
Hernangomez was a central force for Spain this summer but exactly what role he’ll play with the Nuggets this season is up in the air.
At Media Day, Michael Malone declared Denver will have “an open competition” at small forward involving Hernangomez, Torrey Craig, rookie Michael Porter Jr., and incumbent Will Barton, who’s been limited at training camp due to a tweaked hamstring. With Barton sidelined, Craig and Hernangomez have split most of the first-team reps and have both played well. Porter Jr. has also played some alongside Denver’s starters.
Based on last year’s production alone, Hernangomez’s chances to capture the starting small forward job look bleak. He was an inconsistent offensive player last season and struggled to string together consistent shooting stretches over the latter half of the year. Hernangomez shot over 40% from 3 across the first three months of the season before converting on just 21% of his 3s from January through April.
Some of that inconsistency can be connected to the core muscle injury he played through for most of last season. Hernangomez had surgery two days after the Nuggets’ Game 7 loss to the Trail Blazers and recovered in time to play for Spain this summer.
He sought the counsel of teammate Mason Plumlee, who had the same surgery last offseason, about the rehab process and what the timeframe was for getting back on the court so he could get a good idea of if he’d be able to suit up for Spain this summer. Hernangomez also leaned on Jamal Murray and Will Barton, who have both had similar procedures before. He won’t cite the injury as an excuse for his inconsistencies a season ago but Nuggets coaches have noticed a difference in Hernangomez’s play now that he’s fully healthy.
“It’s not just on the court, I think he’s really confident in his body,” Michael Malone said. “He was dealing with that injury the whole year last year and I think having that surgery and playing at such a high level, he’s coming into camp feeling great about his body, his health. And you couple that with the gold medal, playing at a high level, shooting with great confidence, I do sense a more confident Juancho Hernangomez.”
“He’s playing really confidently right now,” said Nikola Jokic.
The case for the Nuggets to start Hernangomez at the three is simple: when he’s playing up to his capabilities, he’s the Nuggets’ best pure catch-and-shoot threat at the position and is a perfect compliment to Jokic and the other high-usage players in Denver’s starting five.
As a rookie, Hernangomez shot 41% from 3-point range, which led all first-year players in that category, and while a bout with mononucleosis sidelined him for much of his sophomore year he rediscovered his shooting stroke last season in a starting role. Across 25 starts, Hernangomez averaged 11.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and shot 42.5% from 3. In more limited action off the bench he struggled, converting on just 28% of his attempts from distance.
Hernangomez posting impressive numbers as a starter isn’t surprising. Being on the court at the same time as someone with as much offensive gravity as Jokic will boost any offensive player’s efficiency. Naturally you’re going to get more easy and open looks within Denver’s offense playing alongside the All-NBA big man as long as you’re keeping in constant motion, which is one of Hernangomez’s strong suits.
Maybe it’s their European connection or a high offensive IQ, but not many Nuggets players have better on-court chemistry and play better off of Jokic than Hernangomez. His long arms and 6-foot-10 frame aid Hernangomez as a cutter too helping him corral any no-look feeds from Jokic that go slightly awry. Jokic even phoned his teammate the day after Spain captured gold to offer his congratulations.
He doesn’t need the ball in his hands either an offense either. As a floor spacer, Hernangomez can camp out in the corner while Jokic, Jamal Murray and Gary Harris look to create lucrative offensive opportunities. If they stall out, Hernangomez is waiting at the ready to fire from 3 or create an advantage with his crafty off-ball movement. If he’s in rhythm, defenses shouldn’t be able to help off him too much.
Hernangomez has always been a quick decision-maker throughout his time with the Nuggets and when he receives the ball on the wing, his internal clock telling the Spaniard to either shoot, attack or cut moves fast. It’s a quality that’s paramount when playing in the Nuggets’ read-and-react offense. Last season Hernangomez only held the ball for an average of 1.72 seconds per touch per NBA.com/stats, the lowest touch time on Denver’s roster.
If Hernangomez wants to earn consistent minutes in Malone’s rotation this season, he has to be a knockdown shooter. The Nuggets are also keeping an eye on his defense and rebounding. All of those factors will go into determining if he’s playing on a night-to-night basis this year.
“We’re not going to be able to play 12 guys, so there’s going to be some talented players that may not play,” Malone said. “That’s in terms of all the candidates who can play at the small forward and power forward position.”
Hernangomez would love to win the starting job, but he’s willing to accept any role that helps the team. His unselfishness and team-first mentality is one of the forward’s defining characteristics.
It’s part of what’s made Hernangomez such a locker room and fan favorite during his three years in Denver. His playing time has been irregular but Hernangomez is always the first one off the bench to greet his teammates when a timeout is called. He credits time spent with Spain’s national team for his unselfishness both on the court and off it.
“When you play for Spain you see how important it is to be family, to be friends, to be together every single day for two months, practicing together, pushing each other, fighting together,” Hernangomez said. “When the bad times come that’s what really matters and that’s what really helps you get over those bad times.”
Hernangomez’s team-first mentality has been drilled into his head by two Spanish legends, Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio, who Hernangomez grew up idolizing. Over the last couple of summers, Gasol and Rubio went from Hernangomez’s heroes, to his teammates and trusted advisors, helping him navigate an up-and-down tenure with the Nuggets where he’s struggled to carve out a consistent role.
“They know how to compete, they know how to practice, they know how to handle everything. I just open my eyes and keep learning,” Hernangomez said. “They give me the time, they give me the patience. They advise me and teach me. They are mentors for me. They know how hard it is to be younger, you’re really excited to do things but you’ve got to be patient.”
After a banner summer, perhaps some of Hernangomez’s gold medal glow rubs off on his teammates this season. The Nuggets after all are in pursuit of their own hardware in the form of the NBA Championship trophy.
If Denver does capture the illustrious Larry O-B, Hernangomez will be more than prepared for what follows.
“The celebration was crazy,” Hernangomez told DNVR. “We were celebrating for two weeks but we’re going to celebrate for all my life.”
