Even the consummate teammate can only mask so much.
Over the last three seasons, has endured a bout of mono that derailed his sophomore campaign, a core injury that short-circuited last year’s promising start and, this season, he’s staring up the depth chart at three other capable small forwards.
At each obstacle, Hernangomez opted to breathe positivity and encouragement rather than sulk.
“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” said , who joined Hernangomez and as part of Denver’s vaunted 2016 draft class. “He’s always energetic, always happy, never in a down mood, always bringing life to the team during losses or in the locker room or on the bench. He’s always the first one to stand up. That little stuff adds up. You continue to see that from a guy who doesn’t play a lot.”
Itap easy to forget that beneath his supportive, affable nature is a hungry, talented basketball player who has patiently bided his time.
Last Saturday in Orlando, with the offense scuffling and celebrated rookie Michael Porter Jr. still finding his basketball legs, Nuggets coach Michael Malone turned to Hernangomez for a spark. Minutes into his shift, he registered a block and a huge 3-pointer that helped resuscitate Denver’s offense. It was the earliest he had checked into a game all season, and the trust Malone had shown in him had a palpable effect.
“Itap tough when you work hard,” he told The Denver Post. “Itap really hard to wait for your opportunity. I’ve been doing that for four years. I know how it is, how hard it is to come to the gym early, to leave later, to keep working on your game and you don’t get the minutes like you want. You know itap really tough to be excited outside the court, figure out that you can play and you can help the team to win. And sometimes the team just struggles, itap really bad for me (because) I can help the team, and I’m outside.”
His 12 minutes in the win over the Magic made a world of difference. Heading into the weekend, as a result of Denver’s impressive depth on the wing with , and Porter, he’d only played 19 minutes in seven games.
“I was really happy to come help the team to get the win,” Hernangomez said. “I feel happy to get back in the team, on the court with my guys. Just feeling like a basketball player. Letap see how it goes, letap see how this season is going, but I just want to play and help my teammates.”
Despite an aggressive offer from the Nuggets, according to league sources, ahead of the Oct. 21 deadline, Hernangomez did not reach an early extension with the team. That essentially makes this season a gamble in that he’ll have to prove his value, to the Nuggets or another team, while struggling to get consistent minutes.
Hernangomez insists that context doesn’t matter to him.
“No, if I feel pressure, maybe I get an agreement with team and I just sign a deal, but I don’t feel any pressure,” he said. “I’m just here to play basketball. I’m not here for money or for nothing. I’m coming to America for NBA because thatap my dream. I just want to compete with the best basketball players. And I think I can compete. I don’t feel pressure at all. Free agency’s an extra step, I don’t want to think about it.”
With such a young team and so many guys clawing for minutes, Hernangomez has done an admirable job of being a professional. Itap possible something gives in the rotation, and itap also plausible that Malone finds an advantageous matchup for Hernangomez. He still shot 36% from 3-point range last year and can be a valuable rebounder on both ends.
“The waitap a long wait to have,” Hernangomez said. “You have to keep working on your body, keep working on your game, so once you don’t play, you have to keep improving because life is long. Someday you’re going to get the opportunity here or somewhere else, and you have to be ready for that. Thatap the key. Be ready.”
