‘Hustle’ Star Juancho Hernangomez Signs in Toronto

The name Juancho Hernangomez may not quite roll off the tongue as easily as that of Bo Cruz, but for those as immersed in the world of professional basketball as pop culture and the movie industry, both names should ring a bell.

Cruz is a fictional character serving the lead role in Adam Sandler’s 2022 sports comedy-drama depicting Sandler as a scout who finds and vouches for Cruz. Tracking him from pick-up games in Spain to North American workouts, tryouts and the NBA Combine, Sandler takes Cruz all the way to the NBA Draft and his debut in the big league.

With upwards of 25 NBA players filling cameo roles in the production, Cruz’s character is played by none other than 6-foot-9 forward Juancho Hernangomez.

As the story goes, Hernangomez – now 26 – was actually a first-round selection of the Denver Nuggets back in the 2016 NBA Draft. He went 15th overall out of Spain’s CB Estudiantes where he played professionally from 2012-16. He announced his bid to be considered as an international early entry candidate and heard his name called shortly thereafter.

Despite being a mid-first-round pick, the power forward actually struggled to gain much traction over the first few years of his career. He was sent down to the development league in early 2017 but was recalled to Denver in time to put up a season-high 27 points and 10 rebounds in a February contest against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Mononucleosis knocked him out for a significant portion of his sophomore season, to which Hernangomez only suited up for 25 total games.

He was dealt to Minnesota in early 2020 and re-signed a three-year deal with the Timberwolves later that fall. Issues stemming from his weight, COVID, the Olympics, and injuries put him at odds with management in in Minnesota. He was sent to Memphis for Patrick Beverley in August of 2021. But his stay with the Grizzlies was short-lived.

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Less than a month later he was moved to Boston in a three-player, two-pick deal. Four months later he was on the move again, this time to San Antonio, by way of Denver in a three-team deal. Once again, he found his name involved within a multi-team trade in February. This time he was shipped to Utah. Hernangomez lasted four-and-a-half months with the Jazz before the team Waived him one week after the 2022 NBA Draft.

Oh right, during that tumultuous time of his professional career, Hernangomez was shooting film on the set with Sandler and Co. – a place where his real talents appear to lie.

Bo Cruz signed with the @Raptors. If he plays like he did in #Hustle, that’s a great pick up.

— talkingsh!tnotfacts (@talknishnotfax) July 26, 2022

‘Hustle’ came out on Netflix on June 8, to which a number of league-mates weighed in on his performance. Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year and now a teammate of Hernangomez’s Scottie Barnes also made his thoughts on this signing known.

Scottie Barnes is stoked to be teammates with The Cruz Missile 😂 pic.twitter.com/CYonqeFwL4

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) July 27, 2022

Hernangomez shoots roughly 43 percent from the field while averaging just over five points and three rebounds per game over his career. Playing approximately 11 minutes a night over 40 games last season, he put up 6.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, a 51 percent field goal percentage, and a 44 percent three-point shooting percentage with the Jazz.

His deal is considered partially guaranteed and he will next need to prove his worth in training camp, alongside a slew of other players vying for the final two rostered spots come opening night. The Raptors now sit at the maximum of 20 players, which will see Hernangomez duke it out Kermit Wilts style with Armani Brooks, Dalano Banton, DJ Wilson, and Justin Champagnie this September. Toronto went 48-34 last season but fell out of the postseason in just the first round at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.