Jeff Hornacek said management has told him to play the players who do the most to earn their minutes and he's given playing time at center so far to Enes Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn over Willy Hernangomez. "Well, every summer that you come back it's a competition and guys, they earn their minutes through training camp and through exhibition season," Hornacek said Saturday when asked about Hernangomez. "Willy's done well, (it's) just something the other guys have done a little bit more. So the focus is on defense and that's one thing that we want him to get better at as a young player. We're trying to emphasize things to these guys that don't get repeated. All of the sudden, ‘Okay, I see, I understand,' and they fix it. And Willy's working on that. He's doing a great job. He comes to practice every day and practices hard. His opportunities will come." Steve Mills and Scott Perry both wrote that Hernangomez was part of the team's young core it hopes to develop, so it's a bit odd to see Hernangomez stuck to the bench. But Hornacek pointed out that those statements from Mills and Perry were made before the Kanter trade. "It's a tough spot," Hornacek said. "But that's when guys step up. I think Willy will too."