New York Knicks: Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O'Quinn Are Breaking Out

The New York Knicks have found an interior duo that can anchor the second unit with rookie Willy Hernangomez and resurgent veteran Kyle O’Quinn.

The New York Knicks have invested in power forward Kristaps Porzingis and center Joakim Noah as the starting interior tandem. Porzingis is in line to be an All-Star in 2017 and Noah is a former Defensive Player of the Year.

Though few expected it to transpire, Phil Jackson’s vision for Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn to anchor the second unit is coming to fruition.

Jackson signed both Hernangomez and O’Quinn to four-year contracts. Thus, while it may be trendy to dismiss him as an executive who’s getting lucky, The Zen Master invested the time and money that implies this was his goal from the start.

With four big men locked up long-term—Hernangomez, Noah, O’Quinn, and Porzingis—Jackson’s investment is beginning to pay off.

Porzingis and Noah are established commodities who can and should be discussed at great length. What’s catching many by surprise at this early juncture, however, is the emergence of both Hernangomez and O’Quinn as impact players.

During the Knicks’ 106-95 victory over the Orlando Magic, New York received a glimpse of how dynamic the bench duo can be.

O’Quinn continued what’s been an incredible stretch by dominating his former team on both ends of the floor. The 26-year-old posted 14 points, 16 rebounds, five offensive boards, and five blocks in just 24 minutes.

For perspective, those numbers translate to 21.0 points, 24.0 rebounds, 7.5 offensive rebounds, and 7.5 blocks per 36 minutes.

That stellar performance continued what’s been an exceptional stretch of basketball from the Queens native. Over his past 10 appearances, he’s averaging 10.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 offensive boards, 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game.

If O’Quinn maintains that level of consistency throughout the 2016-17 NBA regular season, then he could join Brandon Jennings in the race for Sixth Man of the Year.

Hernangomez finished with 15 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes. He shot 7-of-11 from the field, made a surprising 3-point field goal, and took over with 12 points in the fourth quarter of what was a reasonably close game.

On a night where Kristaps Porzingis left early for precautionary purposes and Carmelo Anthony couldn’t find his shot, Hernangomez closed out a win for the Knicks.

Hernangomez is averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 offensive boards in 14.2 minutes per game on 57.8 percent shooting from the field. More impressively, he’s averaging 15.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.9 offensive boards, 2.1 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 steal per 36 minutes.

Hernangomez has been quite the revelation for a Knicks team that now has two 22-and-under big men to build towards the future with.

Knicks fans may not have expected it—in fairness, no one but Jackson and the front office likely did—but Hernangomez and O’Quinn are breaking out in 2016-17.