Hernandez could be a diamond in the rough
Big man’s toughness, mobility and energy won over Raptors
The Toronto Raptors didn’t think Dewan Hernandez would still be available at the NBA draft last month at No. 59, one selection before the night was set to conclude.
However, the big man (6-foot10, 235 pounds) remained on the board and was the choice in the Raptors room after some discussion.
Hernandez had averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 32 games as a sophomore at Miami (Fla.) University and seemed to be on his way up draft boards for 2019 after working all off-season to add a jump shot, before twice being declared ineligible to play his junior season by the NCAA because of an alleged recruiting violation.
But Hernandez’s misfortune ended up being Toronto’s gain, as the team didn’t believe he would have lasted until late in the second round had he competed this season.
“That’s kind of the approach we take to it,” Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman said earlier this week.
“He was a guy that was starting to get some buzz in his sophomore year and he comes from a really strong pedigree as a prep player before Miami. And you could kind of see as he was getting comfortable and putting on some weight and just developing, there was a fairly good chance he would have played himself out of the range of 59.
“Who knows how the season would have gone for him, but the little bit we saw of him this past year and all the scouting we had done on him earlier, we felt really comfortable with where he’s at and where he could get in our program,” Tolzman said.
Hernandez averaged 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in three games in Vegas before Thursday’s contest, but had shot just 32 per cent from the field.
Still, he has looked better in each contest after showing the rust of so much time out in the opener. Hernandez notched 16 points, 11 rebounds and a block against New York on Tuesday in his breakout outing.
Hernandez went through 18 pre-draft workouts, a high number, and felt like his session with the Raptors was one of the better efforts. Apparently, the team agreed.
“It was very exciting. The champs, the only pick they had, and they chose me. That’s unbelievable,” Hernandez said. “They didn’t have a pick last year, I don’t think they had a pick before that, so for them to choose me, it feels surreal.”
Hernandez felt that landing with Toronto was a big break for him.
“I talked to a lot of NBA guys, the young guys in the league and some veterans, and they said the Toronto Raptors have the best player development in the league. I’m very excited to be in the hands of the Toronto Raptors,” Hernandez said.
EX-THUNDER SUPERSTARS REUNITED with ROCKETS
Close friends and former teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden have reportedly been reunited. The superstar guards, who have both won a league MVP award, spent three seasons together in Oklahoma City, including a trip to the NBA Finals, before Harden was traded to Houston and went from sixth man to one of the league’s premier players.
Westbrook will head to the Rockets for former all-star Chris Paul, 2024 and 2026 first-round picks, and the option to swap picks with Houston in 2021 and 2025, according to ESPN. It’s unclear if Paul will stick with the Thunder or be bought out.
The team earlier dealt Paul George after he asked for a trade, and will almost certainly start a rebuild armed with by far the most draft assets in league history. The team has added eight extra first-round picks in coming years through recent moves.
Miami had appeared to be a prime landing spot for Westbrook, but the Miami Herald reported the Heat refused to part with some of the young talent the Thunder was after.