Almost two months before the entire family gets together to celebrate Christmas, the Hernangómez Geuers will have a nice aperitif this Friday night at the Palau. It will be a Barça-Panathinaikos (8:30 p.m.) with morbidity and that will divide hearts at home. “It is a very special match because we will face each other for the first time in the Euroleague,” confirmed the Blaugrana Willy (29) about the duel against his middle brother Juancho (28), who this season dresses in green under the orders of Ergin Ataman ( Andrea, who plays at the American University of Fairfield, is the youngest).
The paths of the two brothers have crossed over time. Together, defending the interests of the Spanish team, they have reached the top, winning among other medals a world gold (China 2019) and another European (Germany 2022). On the way to the elite, they have also faced each other on multiple occasions in the NBA in their various teams, but now it is different.
They both decided to cross the pond in the summer. Fate had reserved a new opportunity for them to share a dressing room in Barcelona. The high-profile signing of a former Madrid player like Willy Hernangómez not only encouraged the enthusiasm of the Barça fans, but also that of the team's technical services, who had set their eyes on Juancho in their arduous task of rebuilding the squad. But despite the presence of his brother, which at the Palau was interpreted almost as a definitive achievement to bring both of them together, Juancho surprised and ended up betting on Panathinaikos, which has also experienced a summer of many changes, including, as in the Barça, on the bench.
At the moment, the trajectories of both are not parallel. Under Grimau's orders, Willy is being able to produce a lot without having to abuse his minutes on the hardwood. In the Euroleague, for example, he doesn't even reach 17 on average. He is only the 7th player with the most minutes on the squad (16m55s) but it is enough to be the 3rd with the best rating (12). In each game he seems a little more adapted and his game (and his weight in the team) continues to climb positions.
It is not that in the case of Juancho the opposite is true, but it is evidence that the middle of the Hernangómez family is having a harder time finding his way, especially in the Euroleague, where Ataman's Panathinaikos did not have a promising start to the season. Of course, he is righting it and arrives at the Palau Blaugrana much more confident after beating Olympiacos in the league derby.
Finding a place in a team full of stars, with many Greek players as well, is not being easy for Juancho. Although he plays more than his brother's in Europe (23m26s), he is also 7th in minutes on Ataman's squad. But his production is much lower than Willy's (8.6, 7th in Panathinaikos). Tonight, the loss of men of the weight of Sloukas or Vildoza in the green ranks can give it more prominence. “I will give advice to Kalinic and Abrines so that they can defend him well,” Willy asserted.
The family reunion at the Palau is served.
