Juancho Hernangomez

Hernangomez began the 2019-20 season as a member of the Nuggets, seeing a small role of 12.4 minutes per game in 34 appearances. However, his role increased once he was dealt to the Timberwolves, and he had a great stretch to end the season. Across his final 14 appearances, Hernangomez averaged 12.9 points on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and made 2.1 threes per game at 42.0 percent. He was also strong on the glass, grabbing 7.3 boards per game with the Wolves across 29.4 minutes. The 25-year-old re-upped during the offseason, signing a two-year, $13.5 million deal with Minnesota. It appears he'll be the starting power forward, so it wouldn't be surprising if he put up similar numbers in 2020-21 as he did during the latter half of last season.

After going through a sophomore slump in 2017-18, Hernangomez bounced back last season to have the most productive year of his young career. He appeared in 70 games last year for Denver, making 25 starts, and averaged a career-high 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds across 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 36.5 percent from behind the arc. The issue for Hernangomez heading into his fourth season is that his role doesn't have much room to expand with the Nuggets not only bringing all of its personnel from last season back but adding some key pieces to the frontcourt rotation. Beyond the potential for Michael Porter to make his NBA debut after missing all of his rookie season with a back injury, Denver also traded for Jerami Grant this offseason, who will surely play a significant frontcourt role off the bench. As a result, Hernangomez's minutes as a role player likely will not increase. If anything, he will likely see a dip in usage based on the makeup of the team's roster heading into the start of the season.

Between injuries and an illness, Hernangomez only appeared in 25 games for the Nuggets last season. He didn't look quite right when he played, seeing most of his stats regress from a rookie campaign where he shot 46-of-113 (40.7 percent) from beyond the arc. However, much of that could be chalked up to him presumably playing at less than 100 percent. Wilson Chandler being traded away to Philadelphia opens up some frontcourt minutes, but it will still be difficult for Hernangomez to find significant run at power forward (his primary position) with Paul Millsap still around.

Hernangomez showed some glimpses of brilliance last season, as he averaged 12.0 points per game in the 11 games he played at least 24.0 minutes. That was emphasized by a 27-point, 10-rebound performance in February, in which Hernangomez set fire against the Golden State Warriors. He went 6-of-10 from three-point range in that blowout win, which is where Hernangomez really shows his versatility. At 6'9”, Hernangomez went 46-of-113 from long distance for the season, which is an impressive mark since he played under 14.0 minutes per game. Things really opened up for Hernangomez too, as he should see an uptick in playing time with Danilo Gallinari leaving to play for the Clippers. He'll likely compete with Will Barton for minutes at small forward behind Wilson Chandler, though he could see some time at power forward as well despite the crowded depth chart. At just 21-years-old, Hernangomez should still be on the rise and with in increase in playing time in store following the departure of Gallinari, he should see a bump in production across the board.

Hernangomez, 21, spent last season in Spain before being selected by the Nuggets with the 15th overall pick in the draft. At 6-foot-9, Hernangomez has the size to fill both forward spots, but he still has plenty of room to add weight and is probably best suited to play power forward while he adjusts to the NBA three-point line. Just how much he'll play remains to be seen, though, as he joins a Nuggets roster flush with depth at virtually every position. Hernangomez will have to compete for minutes with fellow versatile talents Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, as well as Darrell Arthur and Kenneth Faried. As a result, 2016-17 projects to be mostly a developmental year for Hernangomez, making him an interesting commodity largely only in dynasty formats.