Hugo Gonzalez was a mystery to most when the Boston Celtics selected him 28th overall in last month’s NBA draft.
After all, the 19-year-old guard played overseas and wasn’t a main feature on Real Madrid.
But those on the Celtics have their own scouting reports on Gonzalez now after he spent the past week practicing with members of Boston’s Summer League team. And it’s clear Gonzalez has made a good first impression.
“He plays hard, like really hard,” third-year Celtics forward Jordan Walsh told reporters Tuesday from the Auerbach Center, per MassLive’s Souichi Terada. “Fans are going to love that. He plays hard. He dives on the floor. He’s a defensive menace. He attacks the rim with force. I think everybody knows that, but it’s my first time seeing him play. And to be able to watch it and go up against it — he got me one time. It’s been cool.”
Gonzalez relies on the athleticism packed into his 6-foot-7 frame to make plays instead of his outside shot. The Spain native helped Real Madrid to a Liga ACB title — it won the championship on the same night the Celtics drafted Gonzalez — but contributed just 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 27.1% from 3-point range.
There’s obviously still plenty of room for on-court growth from the teenager, but his high effort and energy level should help him make the transition to the NBA as he figures things out.
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Celtics fans will have the chance to form their own opinion about Gonzalez with him suiting up in Summer League. It’s unclear how many Summer League games Gonzalez will play in after playing 56 games this season for Real Madrid across EuroLeague and Liga ACB.
But come the end of next week, the Celtics surely will know a little bit more of what they have in Gonzalez as he competes against other NBA rookies and hopefuls.
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