Knicks news: Willy Hernangomez wants to 'play now' despite center logjam

Willy Hernangomez was widely expected to follow up on his strong rookie campaign, but the Knicks' logjam at center has given him the shortest straw.

Willy Hernangomez had his rookie season commence on the right foot, getting the nod to start at center for the New York Knicks after Joakim Noah went down with an injury.

Today, he's logged six DNPs in the first 13 games of the season, failing to reach the 20-minute mark throughout the year while averaging a mere 9.3 minutes per outing. Hernangomez now finds himself at the bottom of a center logjam with the arrival of Enes Kanter, the presence of Kyle O'Quinn, and the impending return of Joakim Noah, giving the Knicks four centers to find minutes for throughout the game — a task that has proven a tough one for head coach Jeff Hornacek.

Jeff Hornacek — *Maddie Meyer/Getty Images*

Willy Hernangomez not only had his starting job taken away upon Kanter's arrival, but he could also end up as the shortest straw once all centers are lined up.

“I didn’t expect the start of the season to be like this after what happened last season, being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team,” said Hernangomez in his native Spanish, according to Francisco Rabadan of OKDiario, as translated by HoopsHype. “There’s a lot of big men, now Kanter… I hope next week, when Joakim [Noah] comes back, things are clear, and let’s see if there’s any roster movement. They tell me that I have to be calm, that they have faith in me and that I’ll play. But I want to play now.”

While it's unusual to keep four centers in a roster — historically speaking, it never ends well. Most recently the Philadelphia 76ers faced the same conundrum, with cornerstone Joel Embiid starting, but also keeping Richaun Holmes, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel — resulting on the latter making his exit prior to the trade deadline, an option which the Knicks haven't looked into for Willy Hernangomez this early in the season.

“I haven’t thought about it,” said Hernangomez. “Both the president and the general manager have told me that they have faith in me and that I’m part of the Knicks’ future, but they have also told me that I have to be patient. I’m being very patient, I’m working a lot and going to practice with a positive attitude.