NBA preseason continued on Sunday night as the Brooklyn Nets played against the New York Knicks. NBA.com has reported that the Nets defeated the Knicks by a score of 117-83. This is the third victory of the Nets since the preseason started. D’Angelo Russell and DeMarre Carroll led the Nets in winning Sunday night’s game. As for the Knicks, Willy Hernangomez played an amazing all-around game but it was not enough for his team to get the victory.
Willy Hernangomez scored 17 points
Hernangomez collected 17 points, (0-1 3Pt, 5-9 FG, 7-11 FT) two assists, and twelve rebounds in 21 minutes in their loss to the Nets.
Head coach of the Knicks, Jeff Hornacek, has been rotating his center since the NBA preseason started. In Sunday’s game against the Nets, coach Hornacek assigned Hernangomez to be the team’s starting center. Hernangomez' excellent play on Sunday further complicates the game scheme concerning who will be assigned as the starting center of New York Knicks.
Hernangomez was declared for the 2015 NBA draft and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as their 35th overall pick. Later on, the 23-year-old player's rights were later traded to the New York Knicks on draft night in exchange for cash considerations and future two second-round draft choices.
Russell led Nets in scoring
Russell tallied 16 points (1-2 3Pt, 7-14 FG, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, seven assists, one block, and three steals in their last game against the Knicks.
Russell now enters his second season in the NBA league. Russell was traded, along with Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez and Kyle Kazuma, the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
The 21-year old player filled every category in the stat line on Sunday, including a team-high four turnovers. In addition, he shot a solid 50 percent from the floor on Sunday.
Although Russell's shot has been a bit erratic, he has been able to stay sharp and in control of the offense. It might be a stretch to call him a "top 10 guard" at this point, but he certainly has enough upside to be close.
Russell played one season of college basketball at Ohio State University. He recorded a career-high of 19.3 points, 1.6 steals, 5.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.
In 2015, Russell declared for NBA Draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility. According to NBA.com, Russell was touted by many scouts and reporters to be one of the top prospects in the 2015 draft.
