The big man came within 1 of his career-high PIR despite playing less than 17 minutes
Juancho Hernangomez is coming into his own at Panathinaikos
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Regular Season
Round 6 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens did not have much trouble as it routed LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne 92-68 at home in Round 6 and Juancho Hernangomez confirmed his good form, too.
Hernangomez stepped up early, leading Panathinaikos's furious start. The Greens made their first eight shots, while compiling 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 0 turnovers to build an 18-5 lead. Hernangomez played a big factor in that opening run, which allowed Panathinaikos to control the game from start to finish.
He had a left-handed dunk, fed Kendrick Nunn for a three-pointer, made his own shot from downtown, added another basket and grabbed 3 rebounds, all in the opening 5 minutes of the game.
Hernangomez rested for much of the game after that and ended up playing less than 17 minutes. He still filled his stat line with great numbers: 13 points, no missed shots, 5 rebounds, a career-high 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls drawn for a PIR of 24, one shy of his career-best effort against Olympiacos Piraeus on October 6, 2023. That was his first-ever EuroLeague game, too.
"That's the most important thing: we won and go to the next one, we have to be ready in two days. We have a tough game in Serbia and let's get ready for that," Hernangomez said before being asked about his improved performances this season. "You just need to adapt. Basketball here is way different than in the NBA and I have been there for seven years. I had to adapt and fight, that's what I have been doing all my life.
Hernangomez, indeed, has improved all of his numbers from one season to the next. Last season, he averaged 4.3 points on 26.4% three-point shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists for a PIR of 5.8. Hernangomez has boosted those numbers to 10.5 points on 61.1% three-point shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists for a PIR of 14.3.
He is set to keep adjusting and fighting in two upcoming, very physical games, against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Friday and in the Greek Derby against Olympiacos Piraeus at OAKA Altion in Round 8.