technomaster wrote:Kind of hilarious, to be honest, that Kanter is being treated by this board as old, at the ripe old age of 25. :) Kanter is still a young improving player - he still has a few years before he reaches his prime. Willy isn't THAT much younger.Willy Hernangomez was born in May 1994. Age 23.
Kanter was born in May 1992. Age 25.
Both of them should already have the foundation of what they're going to be - it's more likely that they'll refine their games a little, rather than make large scale improvements, as they mature into their primes.
At the moment, Kanter looks like a man; Willy (much like Marc Gasol did early in his career) still looks like his body is maturing and he's shedding some baby fat. So it's possible there's more to Willy. In the Pau vs Marc comparison, Marc didn't establish himself as a max-contract worthy player until his mid-late 20s.
For what it's worth, I don't think it was good (or is good for Willy or KP's development for two young bigs to be paired together on their team in Europe or here on the Knicks. Both need minutes and touches to develop, and having them in the same place is going to stunt at least 1 of their career potentials.
For illustration, Kanter's growth was in part held back early on by being with Favors & Gobert (not to mention Al Jefferson & Paul Millsap when he was a rookie). After Kanter's departure, Favors did not take the leap many were expecting, but Gobert has become one of the NBA's dominant defenders now that playing time has been sorted out. (yeah, of course Kanter's D was going to look lackluster vs 2 long, athletic beasts and he'd struggle to get mins with a defensive minded coach).
Of note, if we're making this into Kanter vs Willy:
Prior to the NBA draft (really, prior to signing to Kentucky), Kanter was scouted as a generational big man talent. Willy should have plenty of scouting (all eyes were on KP after all)... yet by many accounts is a bit of a late bloomer and ultimately was a 2nd round pick. It's a testament to Willy's work ethic that he's improved so much - I think this was in part due to Willy having a year to play for a season WITHOUT KP in Seville and getting the extra touches and minutes.
3 years is huge, especially when considering the context and their experience. Kanter has a body of NBA work. Willy does not. Kanter's body of work shows that he will never be a rim protector or much of a shot contester, but he can clog the middle.
We are also seeing KP blossom at the 4. I never thought he should play the 5. So far he looks great playing next to a guy like Kant or KOQ. Billy averaged 16ppg and 14rebs per 36 minutes.
I still think the key to really moving this forward is finding high value for Kanter and KOQ.
"winning is more fun... then fun is fun" -Thibs