Juancho Hernangomez praises Kalaitzakis, shares special bond with Ricky Rubio / News - Basketnews.com

Juancho Hernangomez broke down his relationship with Ricky Rubio and weighed in on Panagiotis Kalaitzakis and Kendrick Nunn's contribution to Panathinaikos' win over Fenerbahce.

Credit: Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images Credit Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

If Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens managed to tame Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at OAKA on Friday night (74-63), Juancho Hernangomez deserves a big share of his team's success.

2-pointers this season

55%19,8Points made:19,8Accuracy:54,7%Place in standings:9Record max:26Record min:13Most made 2FGs:Mathias LessortTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Spaniard filled up the stat sheet with 5 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. But most importantly, he made his impact felt, since Panathinaikos created a 27-point margin over their opponents in Juancho's presence.

"I think we all did a good job," Hernangomez told Amerikanos24.

Fenerbahce had a double-digit lead in the first quarter, while PAO were struggling offensively. Juancho thinks his side managed to turn the game around thanks to aggressive defense and some necessary help from the fans.

"We needed that, that big victory," he commented.

Team captain Kostas Sloukas was reduced to watching his teammates from the sidelines, as he was unable to help due to a recurring injury. Juancho thinks it was "huge" for Panathinaikos to pull it off without their main point guard.

"We've been through some tough moments the last couple of weeks. Bad losses and, you know, pretty bad practices," he admitted.

"But now we are ready. Great win."

Over the last games, Panathinaikos has received meaningful minutes from reserve players like Panagiotis Kalaitzakis. The Greek guard/forward lived up to the task against the Turkish powerhouse, as he produced 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

"It's a lot of guys, a lot of guys that sacrifice," Hernangomez said. "And Panos did today. He does it every time he comes in and plays defense, does the dirty job, and presses full-court. He doesn't get a lot of credit, but it's huge for winning games and titles."

On the other hand, Kendrick Nunn scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half. He needed 25 field-goal attempts to reach that number, but his low efficiency didn't take a toll on his team's effort.

Juan Hernangomez

MIN:17.34PTS:4.21 (45.26%)REB:3.79As:0.53ST:0.63BL:0.37TO:1GM:19ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

"I think he didn't start the game well," Juancho said.

"I mean, it's tough. He's tough. We need him to score. He's playing one-on-one, all game. He tries to score every time and we need to support him," he argued.

"For sure, when he has a turnover or two bad shots, he subs out and subs in. [Then], he's got to get ready to come back and, and score. So, we support him anytime and we need him to win everything."

Juancho and Ricky Rubio share a close relationship that has gone through their co-existence in the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Spanish NT. The forward of Panathinaikos spoke fondly of his teammate and friend who recently returned to practices with FC Barcelona and is set to come back to the EuroLeague after 12 years in the NBA.

"Ricky and I have a really strong relationship," he confirmed.

"We played together in Minnesota. He was my bestie there. We play in the national team together. We spent a lot of time together. I really love him. I love his family. I love his friends.

If he's now on the court just practicing, I'm so happy if he just does that. He can take any time he wants until he feels ready. He's going to be a hero for a lot of people. He's one of my heroes. He teaches me so much, not just basketball, and his family too.

So I love him and I'm happy for him, whatever he does," Juancho concluded.

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