Willy Hernangomez

Hernangomez had a relatively strong first season with the Pelicans given the fact that he was a part of a three-man center rotation. The 27-year-old still managed to see 18.0 minutes of action, and he averaged 7.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. The center competed for minutes last season with Steven Adams and Jaxson Hayes. This season, after re-signing with New Orleans, he'll compete with Hayes and Jonas Valanciunas instead. In New Orleans last season, Hernangomez was able to take over the second-man job in the center rotation, and as long as Jaxson Hayes doesn't take a big step in his development, Hernangomez should see a similar role to last year. Hernangomez's fantasy value is only relevant in deep leagues, as he won't be receiving consistent enough minutes throughout the season.

Hernangomez appeared in 31 games for the Hornets during 2019-20. He averaged 6.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.2 blocks across 12.1 minutes of run. He shot 53.2 percent from the field, made 0.2 threes per game at 22.7 percent and shot 62.7 percent from the free-throw line. Despite signing with a new team, Hernangomez's role likely won't change with the Pelicans. He's the third center behind both Steven Adams and Jaxson Hayes, and Zion Williamson play center on occasion, too. As a result, Hernangomez can largely be passed on from a fantasy perspective.

Despite being healthy for almost all of the 2018-19 season, Hernangomez appeared in just 58 games for the Hornets, as head coach James Borrego began utilizing fellow big man Frank Kaminsky more often in the rotation, which cut into Hernangomez's playing time. Despite ultimately seeing just 14.0 minutes per game, Hernangomez still posted solid numbers on the season, averaging 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds. That made for career-best per-36 averages of 18.7 points and 13.8 rebounds. Now, with Kaminsky gone to Phoenix, there are frontcourt minutes up for grabs this season behind assumed starter Cody Zeller, and with Zeller having only played 82 total games over the last two seasons, there will likely be starter's minutes up for grabs should Zeller miss time once again. Hernangomez will surely be competing with veteran center Bismack Biyombo for those minutes, and his workload and resulting value during the 2019-20 season relies entirely on whether or not he can beat out the big man from the Congo.

An early-season elbow injury and late-season Achilles injury limited the veteran to 64 games during his 10th season. While he was still able to provide all-around production -- 11.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 threes, 1.0 steals -- each of those categories, except for steals, represented his lowest marks since joining the Hornets in 2015-16. Fantasy owners who are optimistic about Batum can likely chalk up the down year to injuries and the presence of Dwight Howard. Pessimists can point to the fact that Batum is turning 30 and hasn't shot better than 42.6 percent from the field since 2013-14 -- what are the odds he’s getting better? Regardless, Howard’s departure without significant replacement should vault Batum’s usage up to the levels we saw during previous campaigns with Charlotte, where he posted 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.9 threes and 1.0 steals per tilt.

Hernangomez was one of the bright spots of a 2016-17 season that wasn't too kind to the Knicks. With starting center Joakim Noah playing just 46 games, that allowed Hernangomez to play a fairly sizable role at center. After seeing just spot minutes earlier in the season, Hernangomez's role grew throughout the latter stages and over the last 31 games of the season he actually averaged an impressive 11.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 24.6 minutes. That was nearly a double-double, which is certainly tough for any rookie to do. Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Hernangomez is going to have a big opportunity ahead of him. Noah is going to miss the first 12 games of the year on suspension, which likely means Hernangomez will start at center if the Knicks opt to use Kristpas Porzingis at power forward. That should allow Hernangomez to take on a similar workload to what he averaged over the final half of last season, giving him plenty of potential as a double-double threat on any given night. Hernangomez did shoot just 72.5 percent from the free-throw line last season, and didn't do much as a rim protector, but his point and rebound numbers should give him value in the mid-to-late rounds as a sleeper pick at center.

Hernangomez, a second-round draft pick in 2015, reached a contract this summer with the Knicks and is set to serve in a reserve role in the frontcourt during his rookie year. He’ll immediately find a familiar face in budding star Kristaps Porzingis, who Hernangomez played alongside with Spanish club Real Madrid in 2014-15. He’ll now serve in a backup capacity behind Porzingis and starting center Joakim Noah, while battling Kyle O’Quinn for minutes off the bench. Hernangomez occupied a similar role for the Spanish squad during the 2016 Summer Olympics, averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. As Hernangomez transitions to the NBA, he’s unlikely to see significant minutes on a consistent enough basis to yield any lasting fantasy value.