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31 August, 2017
17 September
7 Guillermo HERNANGÓMEZ (Spain)
17/10/2016
News
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A one-two Hernangomez punch in waiting for Spain

NEW YORK (NBA/FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Spain's national team has already benefitted from the presence of a couple of brothers in their magnificent run that has lasted for more than a decade in international basketball with Pau and Marc Gasol two of the finest players in the game.

It is now a near certainty that another pair of siblings will provide the No. 2 side in the FIBA World Ranking Men with a mean one-two punch in the very near future with Willy and Juancho Hernangomez surpassing expectations in this NBA pre-season.

Willy, a 22-year-old rookie with the New York Knicks, is well on the way to being a key man for Spain, having featured for the senior side the last couple of summers.

He claimed a EuroBasket 2015 title and a 2016 Olympic bronze medal.

The 2.10m center has been involved in some highlight reel plays.

Juancho, a year younger and slightly shorter at 2.06m, is a Denver Nuggets rookie. It's a good bet that he'll be included next year when Spain play at FIBA EuroBasket.

A player that shone for the junior teams that finished third at the 2013 U18 European Championship and second at the U20 European Championships in 2014 and 2015, he's been one of the big surprises in the NBA and has already earned himself a nickname.

Nuggets coach Brendan Malone likes the energy that Juancho Hernangomez brings to the team, calling him a "wild stallion".

"I'm not sure he really knows what he is doing but he plays hard, he's got a motor, he's got toughness," Malone said.

Juancho Hernangomez has excelled for Spain's youth teams

Malone says fans have to remember that Juancho Hernangomez, a former player at Estudiantes in Madrid, is dealing with a lot.

He's in a new land and trying to make it in the world's toughest league.

"He's (Willy Hernangomez) a guy who can score, he can pass, he can play D. He can do it all. I try to not make comparisons but I see a lot of Marc Gasol in him. - Carmelo Anthony

"I put myself in his shoes, a new country, new league, and new rules, imagine what I would be like in Madrid in his shoes," Malone said to Mile High Sports. "But I am proud of him because he's not hanging his head; he continues to work his butt off, but he has to learn how to play without fouling."

Willy Hernangomez has also been hearing praise but his has come from a player that helped the USA beat Spain this summer in the Semi-Finals of the Olympics.

The USA's all-time leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony, believes the sky is the limit for his New York Knicks teammate.

"I like the Big Baby," Anthony said. "He's a guy who can score, he can pass, he can play D. He can do it all. I try to not make comparisons but I see a lot of Marc Gasol in him.

"That's a great sign because Marc is a great player. So for him to have the skills knowing that he has at his age, it's something special."

FIBA