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Juancho Hernangomez, popularly known for his role in Adam Sandler's movie "Hustle" as "Bo Cruz," will take his talents to Greece next season.
The Spaniard reportedly signed a $4.5 million contract with Panathinaikos BC Athens. He returns to Europe after a seven-year stint in the NBA.
The former first-round pick had a below-par tenure in the league. He played for six teams but never found a consistent role. The 6-foot-9 forward showed promise in his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets.
However, playing opportunities were limited for most of his time with the franchise. The same issues followed on all other teams he played for.
Hernangomez's best run in the NBA came during the second half of the 2019-20 season when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Across 14 games, he averaged 12.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on shooting 45.3%, including 42.0% from deep.
Juancho Hernangomez earned respectable playing time the following year in 2020-21 with 52 games. He averaged 17.9 minutes a game while tallying 7.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG. However, he struggled with offensive efficiency while shooting 43.5%, including 32.7% from 3-point range.
Hernangomez played for the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz and Toronto Raptors following his stint with Denver and Minnesota. He played a sporadic role with every franchise, starting with the Celtics.
Hernangomez finished this stint in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. He played 42 games, starting 10 times, but only averaged 14.6 minutes per game while producing 2.9 PPG and 2.9 RPG.
Juancho Hernangomez played 339 games, including 76 starts, while averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in his first NBA stint.
NBA was still a priority for Juancho Hernangomez
Juancho Hernangomez is heading to Europe, but the NBA was his priority despite his struggles. SDNA's Georgis Zakkas reported that Panathinaikos made a push to sign Hernangomez, changing his mind about playing for the Greek club instead of pursuing an NBA move.
The interest in Hernangomez on the market was unknown. Nearly every NBA team has more or less filled their rosters with spots open for only two-way additions and midseason buyout candidates.
The move to Greece made sense for the Spanish forward, who can revive his professional career and perhaps make a push for an NBA move later.
Several role players previously have played abroad after a failed first stint in the league and returned as coveted prospects following successful tenures with foreign clubs. Hernangomez, 27, is still relatively young in his pro-career and could have a shot at emulating the same path.
