New Orleans Pelicans: 3 things to watch vs. the Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans: Willy Hernangomez has stepped up

Willy Hernangomez has been one of the pleasant surprises this season, which prompted me to write him an apology after mistakenly thinking he would be a waste of a roster spot.

With Steven Adams in and out of the rotation with injuries, Hernangomez has been getting more run and is making the most of it averaging 8.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in just over 18 minutes a game over the last ten.

He had another double-double against the Thunder and fans are starting to wonder if the Pelicans could have just rolled with Willy at center this season instead of shelling out big bucks for Steven Adams.

Adams has improved the team’s interior defense and rebounding, but Hernangomez has been giving the Pels 80 percent of what Adams does and is making just $1.7 million this season.

Many modern NBA fans view centers in the NBA like they do running backs in the NFL. They are a throwback to another era and not a position you should waste high draft picks or much cap space to acquire.

The Pels are going to be staring down some tough decisions about Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart this offseason and if they can’t trade Eric Bledsoe, will probably have to let one of them walk.

Adams’ contract doesn’t factor into this too much, as he takes a big pay cut next season, but it’s fair to ask if they might have allocated those resources somewhere else, especially considering their record is the same as it was last year with Derrick Favors and they still have many of the same holes in their roster.