Willy Hernangomez he may not have all the space he deserves in the New Orleans Pelicans but he seduces. And suitors will not be lacking if a transfer finally occurs in these almost three weeks that are still on the market. In the best moment of his career after a Eurobasket who gave him the MVP, The departure of the Louisiana franchise is presented as the best option for the center, who has only participated in 22 of the 46 games played by the team Willie Greenalthough with great numbers, with 7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1 assist on average with 52% shooting from the field in almost 12 minutes.
In recent days, the rumor of a possible interest from the Boston Celtics has gained relevance after specialist Bobby Marks pointed out that possibility as one of the best for the Massachusetts franchise in order to reinforce its inside game, despite the fact that Jakob Poeltl, of the Spurs would go ahead. In the painting of the greens he would coincide with an Al Horford whom he has ‘in love’.
“Willy is a tremendous player and I have always been a fan of him since he arrived in the league. He is a player who has always impressed me a lot, this past summer It was incredible what he did with Spain. I feel good when I see him playing at this level”, highlighted the Dominican in response to MD.
“I have always been a fan of Willy, of course I would like to have him as a partner”
“I know he doesn’t get a lot of opportunities but I know he’s the type of player who can make an impact, but that’s already decisions for Celtics management to make. But he’s a tremendous player and of course I’d like to have him. as a partnerHe’s a great guy,” the 36-year-old power forward also highlighted.
For his part, the Boston coach, Joe Mazzulla, He did not want to go too deeply into the matter. “Do I like Willy Hernangómez? I like the players on my team, ”the coach of some Celtics where he has already played responded, short and dry. Juancho Hernangómez last year, becoming the first and only Spanish player so far in the military in the most successful franchise in history with 17 titles along with the Lakers.
“We definitely have a tougher mentality”
The offices will be the ones to decide but the voice of Al Horford counts a lot, harangues in the locker room but also on the court, numbers but also an inspiring courage on both sides of the court for the others, the instigator at 36 years of age, the Dominican of the last two comebacks of the Celtics in the last quarter against Warriors (121-118) and against the Raptors last night (104-106), without Jayson Tatum and losing Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III along the way to injury.
Points, blocks, rebounds and even rolled on the ground so that the runner-up Above all, he will remove his complex against Golden State after the defeat in the finals and in December (123-107). Let them hit them all they want, these Celtics are tougher. “We definitely have a tougher mentality. We had adversities -referring to the Toronto game-, but the boys they did not look for excusestrying to play correctly, with the next player trying to elevate the game and that’s what happened, Payton Pritchard (12 points in the last quarter after a 4/6 on three-pointers) brought us a lot of energy”, highlighted Al Horford.
“We have improved offensively because we have more confidence in the system”
Just in January of last year, Boston began an unstoppable metamorphosis that led him to win 26 of the last 32 games regular season on a trip that ended in a loss in the Finals against the Warriors (4-2). Within this constant evolution, apart from that tougher mentality, the best team in the NBA today -leader of the East and best record with 35-12-has experienced remarkable offensive growth that led the Greens to register the best offensive rating -points per 100 possessions- in the NBA with 121. In contrast, the Celtics have lost defensive strengthbecoming the most consistent team in the 21-22 season with a defensive rating of 106.2 to 108.6, numbers that still leave it fifth in this section.
The offensive rating is now down to 117.3 – the Nuggets and Kings are above it with 118 and 117.7 – but, in any case, it’s still noticeably higher than the 113 Boston posted last season. The ‘Jays’ have a lot to do with it, Jayson Tatum y Jaylen Brown, at the level of MVP Tatum with 31 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. “We have improved offensively because I feel we have more confidence in the system. We want to play, we want to move the ball with more speed and I feel like Tatum and Brown are working very well, knowing when to pass the ball, when to attack, when to make a play. It all starts with them and the rest of us have to be prepared to make plays”, highlights Al Horford, the ‘old man’ who ‘hugs’ his boys to continue improving.
“I think we can improve. Offensively we lack certain things, keep reading, knowing how to identify the defense against which we are playing. And defensively we also have to keep improving. We are a team that never feels satisfied, we have to keep improving because there is still a long season left”, warned the former de Hawks, Oklahoma and Philadelphia, with contract until 2025.
36 years old who does not show it because he is the one who gives off the most energy, because he has become a devastating triple shooter, his best percentage of 3 this year with and 43.2% and almost 5 shots per game with 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1 block in the rest of the statistics. A kind of eternal youth.
“(Laughter) The reality is the work ethic, my dedication, doing what we like. But I am grateful to God, he has given me the opportunity to continue playing at this level and remain relevant, which is very important to me. But it requires a lot of work and sacrifice, also in offseason. That is the key to my success”, says Al Horford, a cocktail of passionate work and faith to never see time go by without the years passing. Quite a blessing for the Celtics.
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