How Did They Make the ‘Hustle’ Training Montage? - Netflix Tudum

  • Guide

    How the ‘Hustle’ Crew Created a Training Montage for the Ages

    The making of an athlete, from start to finish.

    By John DiLillo
    June 8, 2022

As Adam Sandler’s harried basketball scout Stanley Sugerman struggles to prepare his protégé Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez) for the big leagues, Hustle kicks into Rocky mode — and not just because it’s also set in Philly. The scene that follows sees Cruz perfecting drills, dunks and, of course, racing up a steep hill as Stanley badgers him onward from the driver’s seat of his car. Unorthodox? Sure. Memorable? Definitely. “You see [Bo] going from being kind of green at it and new at it to being great at it by the end of the montage,” Hustle co-producer Joseph Vecsey tells Tudum. In other words: By the end of the scene, he has no trouble staying ahead of Stanley’s car.

Bo Cruz's Epic Training Montage In HustleStanley pushes Bo through intense drills. Hustle stars Juancho Hernangómez and Adam Sandler.

But even with comic touches like that one, the filmmakers were committed to keeping their basketball scenes as grounded and realistic as possible. “Adam is huge into basketball and knows basketball so well,” Vecsey tells us. “We just [had to make] sure it was authentic from the ground up — that all the basketball choreography was as authentic as possible.”

For Hernangómez, this flexibility made the film — and the production — better. “I think the best thing they did on the movie with the director, with Jeremiah [Zagar, the film’s director], they were so open to change things, to change the script, to change exercises, anything you feel uncomfortable,” Hernangómez tells Tudum. “We changed a lot of script. We changed a lot of basketball scenes. Talking with Anthony I was like, ‘Hey, this, this motion doesn’t look real. Like, I'm not gonna do that in the game.’ So, we changed it. And I feel that open mind. It helps to make it even more real.”

“A big thing with NBA players right now is their workout guys,” says Utah Jazz assistant coach and former pro Dell Demps (who also appears in the film as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers). “The majority of guys now have someone that they work out with [who’s] typically not a coach on their team.” It was important for producers to capture that expert specificity to depict Cruz’s training, including each type of workout in the sequence. “What we wanted to do is create an environment where [Cruz] was getting different types of training from real NBA trainers that real NBA players do,” Demps says. “And we wanted to incorporate that into the movie.”

How the ‘Hustle’ Crew Created a Training Montage for the Ages
Cassy Athena/Netflix

To tackle these different areas, the production brought on NBA trainers Micah Lancaster, Drew Hanlen and Chris Matthews. Producers assigned these trainers to different elements of the montage, including shooting, ball handling and drills — including some less traditional ones. “[Micah] has this drill he does with a fan where the players are dribbling and they gotta touch the cone [while] the fan blows the cone out of the way, so they have to stay low,” notes Demps. On-screen, this drill was used to show how Cruz’s ball-handling improved during the montage. 

Demps also made a point to emphasize less basketball-heavy parts of the montage, such as weight lifting and running. “We wanted to make it realistic [and depict] what real NBA players are doing in the off-season,” he says. 

The film’s inspirations weren’t limited to NBA training; just as in Hustle, they also relied on a few local pros. “[W]e had some of Philly's best streetballers, and some guys were AND1 guys back in the day,” Demps says. Adding these streetball scenes came directly from the film’s star. “Me and Adam made a connection right away because of our love for basketball,” Vecsey says. “He loves streetball, and I could do all the basketball tricks and dribble really well and stuff like that.” 

For Hernangómez, however, the hardest part of all wasn’t learning how to make different shots, it was learning how not to make them. “The hardest part was when they told me I gotta miss shots,” he says. “I cannot try to shoot to miss. You’re trying to do something and pray like, ‘Oh, look, a good miss. But as a player, I’m never going to shoot to miss.” Is he bragging? Maybe a little. After all that work, it’s allowed.

How NBA Pros Bring Authenticity To Hustle

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Related Tags

All About Hustle

  • The Utah Jazz player makes his film debut in the new Adam Sandler sports drama.
  • As Juancho Hernangómez learned on Hustle, a basketball court isn’t the only place you need a coach.
  • From street-ball courts to cheesesteak joints, they’re all here.
  • The Utah Jazz player makes his acting debut as Bo Cruz in the new sports drama.
  • Meet the kings and queens of the court.
  • “Adam goes hard,” says his on-screen wife, Queen Latifah.
  • Another slam dunk for your watch list.

Shop Hustle

Go to Netflix Shop

Based on What You’ve Watched

  • These sexy AirCruz secrets are too good to miss.
  • “Well, then, looks like we’re gonna have to make history.”
  • The Duffer Brothers and the cast reflect on the making of the final season.
  • Plus: ONE PIECE stays on top, and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is very good.
  • The romantic comedy is here to heat up your summer — just don’t tell HR.
  • Get to know the actors returning to the show for its second run.
  • Meet the enigmatic leader of Birmingham’s deadliest street gang.  

Discover More Guide

  • The stars and director Ol Parker weigh in on the raunchy workplace-set romance.
  • The three-part series explores the aftermath of Rachel Nickell’s murder.
  • Sadie Sandler, Chloe East, Natasha Lyonne, Nick Kroll, and more star in the comedy film.
  • Hunt games, toys, fashion, books, collectibles, and more for your wish list.
  • Everything’s bigger in Texas — including your bucket list.
  • Sunny Sandler stars in the coming-of-age drama-comedy produced by Adam Sandler.
  • Does Cam successfully overthrow Isla? Does Ali return to the LA Waves?
  • Watch Dan Levy and Laurie Metcalf stumble their way into organized crime.

Discover More Sports

  • These titles are worth their weight in goals.
  • Consider this show the perfect warm-up for the Winter Olympics.
  • King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will begin, plus Clash in Italy fallout.
  • WWE Clash in Italy goes down at a special start time on Sunday, May 31. 
  • Stream Voicemails for Isabelle, Office Romance, a new season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and more.
  • See every prelim winner, including Jason Jackson’s 22-second KO.

Related Videos

  • From ‘Murder Mystery 2’ to ‘Hustle’, get your Sandler fix.
  • ESPN’s ‘30 for 30’ spotlights this unstoppable NBA force.
  • For a night in with the pops.
  • The cast shares who inspires them to be the best.
  • Kenny, Juancho, and Anthony break down the best advice they've ever received.
  • Watch the 'Hustle' cast and crew explain what makes the NBA-player amazing.
  • A viral contest to see who can beat The Boa.
  • Go behind the scenes with the NBA pro as he shoots 'Hustle' with Adam Sandler.

Latest News

  • Resident Alien Season 4: What to Know About the Latest Installment
    A man in a brown shirt looks surprised in a warmly lit room with patterned wallpaper and a large decorative circular wall design behind him.

Popular Now

  • Ladies First tops the film list; Instadocs: Alex Murdaugh, Unconvicted debuts.
  • Everything you need to know about the friend group and their A-list connections.
  • “It’s crazy just how much everything changed.”