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One of the top movies of this summer hit close to home for many Philadelphia 76ers fans. Adam Sandler’s Hustle involved several scenes from inside the Sixers’ facility as well as a variety of other locations across the city. On top of this several Sixers players, including Matisse Thybulle and Tobias Harris, were featured in the film. The star of the movie, Juancho Hernangomez- or Bo Cruz as he went by on the screen, also made his return to Philadelphia for the first time since filming. The movie stars met up before tip-off for some pictures with it clear there were leftover positive feelings between each player.
Flashes of Philadelphia From the Film
In the movie, Sandler stars a scout for the Sixers organization who goes by the name Stanley Sugerman. There are plenty of parallels with the turbulent front office during ‘The Process’ years. There even is a reference of the out-of-control son who takes over front office duty wanting to trade Joel Embiid. While there are no burner account references, one can draw some similarities to the brief tenure with Jerry and Bryan Colangelo whom Embiid has criticized in the past.
In addition to the cast of characters, the movie was filmed across various parts of the city. Most of the on-court scenes took place at Coatsville High School. La Salle University, the Liacouras Center at Temple University, and a few other local venues were also used. On top of this, areas like the Italian Market, Market Street, and the hills of Manayunk each got their shine.
There also was a star-studded cast and cameos in the movie outside of the active members of the Sixers. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and Sixers fan-favorite Boban Marjanović each excelled in their roles. Famed Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright, Sixers legends Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and a variety of other stars also made their appearances.
Raptors’ Influence on Sixers
Raptors big man Hernangomez seemed to look comfortable in his return to Philadelphia and scored four points in the first quarter which is near his average of 4.6 points per game this season. This is his first season with Toronto but they are a team the Sixers are very familiar with.
Nick Nurse has constantly thrown some impressive defensive schemes at the Sixers’ offense which Embiid credits for his growth as a passer. As the superstar put it ahead of last year’s postseason matchup with the Raptors, “They just play recklessly, sending three guys on me as soon as the ball is in the air, which made me better honestly over the years just playing against them and watching them. They definitely made me a better playmaker, so I enjoy playing with them. There are still a lot of ways I can attack them. It doesn’t have to be iso. I can just get good position on them and use my size and weight to try and take advantage of them. I think I know what I have to do. I just have to execute,” per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated. This also was the fateful series in which Embiid suffered the fractured orbital after an errant elbow from Pascal Siakam.
While Toronto has underperformed in a major way to start the season, they are a scrappy team the Sixers are never eager to face. As Embiid alluded to, some of the defensive sets that have been thrown his way have been vital to him growing into the superstar he has become. The career-high 4.7 assists per game he is averaging this season is further evidence of this. Philadelphia will need his ascension to continue when it matters most if they are to get over the postseason hump they so desperately seek this season.
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