Raptors New Signee Tears It Up To Win EuroBasket Finals MVP

The EuroBasket tournament has given a number of more fringey-type NBA players (and wannabe NBA players) a chance to shine more brightly than usual this month. In Sunday's final, the player now known as 'Bo Cruz'—thanks to his impressive starring role in the Adam Sandler film Hustle—put up a long-range shooting display topped only once before in the tournament's history, to win Finals MVP.

Juancho Hernangomez is the EuroBasket 2022 Final MVP 🏆

27 points
5 rebounds
9-for-11 FG
7-for-9 3PTpic.twitter.com/FgufvF5U0o

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 18, 2022

Juancho Hernangomez, aka Bo Cruz, is only the 2nd player scoring more than five 3-pointers in EuroBasket final since 1995. Only Aleksandar Djordjevic has made more threes in a title game (9/12 v Lithuania in 1995).

Hernangomez has 6 before halftime.

via Miguel Tavares/Opta

— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) September 18, 2022

Juancho really turned into Bo Cruz for the Final #ESPFRA pic.twitter.com/2YsKQa475Y

— Tase ™ (@HoodieTase) September 18, 2022

Hernangomez/Cruz fired six triples in the first half, seven overall, and finished with 27 points to lead Spain to the EuroBasket title over France. 

Are you kidding us, Juancho Hernangomez? 😱

6 triples in 10 minutes ☄️#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/f8cNv3Bkg2

— FIBA (@FIBA) September 18, 2022

Only one other player—Yugoslavian national Aleksandar "Saša" Đorđević—has drained more threes in the EuroBasket final. Đorđević dropped 9 triples in 12 attempts back in 1995. 

B̷o̷ ̷C̷r̷u̷z̷

Hello, my NAME is JUANCHO, JUANCHO HERNANGÓMEZ

🔥🔥🔥 @juanchiviris41 #Eurobasket ~ @Eurobasket pic.twitter.com/3FUU5A8MIC

— NBA Spain (@NBAspain) September 13, 2022

Whether you call him Juancho, Bo, or even Steph Curry, he'll be called a Toronto Raptor in about a week or two, when he reports to camp with the squad that signed him to a deal earlier this summer.

Hernangomez has six years of NBA experience, but has really only cracked into a full-time role for a short 14-game stretch with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2019-20 season. He averaged 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 42% shooting from 3-point range in that run. 

Overall, in his six seasons, with five different teams, Hernangomez has averaged 5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 35% from long distance. Last year with the Utah Jazz he shot 44% from three in a 17-game run off the bench. 

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports