The Boston Celtics clearly trust Hugo Gonzalez already.
That’s the message they’ve sent with their early-season actions regarding the No. 28 overall pick out of Spain.
On Sunday, Gonzalez got a major defensive assignment: Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham shot just 1-for-5 while guarded by Gonzalez, who spent the second-most time in the game on him besides Derrick White.
Cade Cunningham when Hugo Gonzalez was primary defender, per NBA tracking:
3 PTS, 1-5 FG, 1 TO
Everyone else:
22 PTS, 7-13 FG, 5 TO
Hugo accounted for 22.9% of defensive time vs. Cade, only Derrick White spent more time on him. pic.twitter.com/tVGUOCq5BU
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) October 27, 2025
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Rarely do rookies taken late in the first round contribute so soon, especially not in a crucial defensive role.
This is just part of why ESPN’s Jonathan Givony called Gonzalez the “biggest steal” on draft night.
Hugo Gonzalez was born in Madrid in Spain.
He joined Real Madrid’s youth team at 9 years old. He made his senior debut in 2022 at 16 years old.
Gonzalez hadn’t fully broken through yet by the time he was drafted, but that’s how it works for pretty much every young European player not named Luka Doncic.
In this his draft year, Gonzalez averaged 3.4 points per game.
Givony compared him to Denver’s Christian Braun and Miami’s Jaime Jaquez. If he turns out like one of them, it’s a great find for the Celtics at No. 28.
So far, so good for Gonzalez.
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