Hustle is now streaming on Netflix, where fans will see Adam Sandler as a basketball scout and coach. Sandler plays Stanley Sugarman, a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers who discovers a top NBA prospect. PopCulture.com caught up with the cast members of Hustle, and they shared their thoughts on Sandler portraying a scout and coach.
“He was dead on,” Kenny Smith, a former NBA player, told PopCulture. “My brother was him. He’s a guy who was always working guys out, always around, finding the next great talent.” Smith plays Leon who is Stanley’s friend and a sports agent, which means he gets to share the screen with Sandler often.
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NBA star Anthony Edwards also stars in Hustle. And while he doesn’t have any dialogue with Sandler, he was impressed with what the veteran comedian and actor did in the film. “He was exceptional, man,” Edwards said. “I can’t describe how good he was in that. I got a lot of people in Atlanta that play similar roles. Nah. He did a really good job of that.”
In Hustle, Stanley discovers a basketball play overseas named Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez) and the two work together to get ready for the NBA Draft. Hernangómez told PopCulture that he loved Sandler’s work.” I think he did a great job preparing for the movie,” Hernangómez said. “I think he loves the movie. He gets so motivated to do the movie, because I think his dad motivated him because Stanley remembers him and his dad. And I feel like he did an amazing job, amazing performance. He was hard when he had to be hard. He was patient when he has to be patient. He embraced the script. He improved a lot. He was a genius. Amazing performance.”
Sandler has a passion for basketball as he played the game in high school. And with Sandler working with LeBron James on the film, various NBA players were featured in Hustle, including Edwards, Hernangómez, Tobias Harris, Luka Doncic, Trae Young and legends such as Allen Iverson and Julius Irving. The combination of Sandler and NBA has been a hit with critics so far as Hustle has earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%. Sandler may not be the most athletic person in Hollywood, but it looks like he scored big with Hustle.
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