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Bow down to your rookie king, Eastern Conference!
Congrats to @willyhg94 for being named @KIA Rookie of the Month! #KiaROTM #Knicks pic.twitter.com/h0VjjvqRDq
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 14, 2017
That’s right, cats and kittens, our own Willy Hernangomez sneaked in just under the wire to snag a Rookie of the Month award for April. The large Spaniard averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists (!!!). Sure, the Knicks only played six games in April, but Willy averaged 11.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists since the All-Star break, so suck on that, haters!
Willy is the first non-76er to win a Rookie of the Month award in the East—Joel Embiid grabbed the first three, and Dario Saric took the last two. Willy has been better than Saric in pretty much every way imaginable, so I’m quite glad he got to taste victory. Now he can share in the glory with best friend Kristaps Porzingis, who nabbed three ROM awards in 2015-16. The last Knicks rookie to win before that? Chris Copeland, in April 2013. No offense, Cope, but I’m sure Willy will have a better career.