The Boston Celtics came under some scrutiny back in late June when they were weighing the possibility of making a trade with the Bucks that would have sent out Jaylen Brown to the Bucks for star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. As a 1-to-1 one proposal, the Celtics would have pounced, but after the Bucks began asking for more–draft picks, Baylor Scheierman–the Celtics began to get cold feet. When Hugo Gonzalez was added to the Bucks’ wish list, that was enough for Boston, and they backed out of the Brown-Antetokounmpo discussion altogether.
Boston’s reluctance to make the move has been pinned on the team’s desire to keep Gonzalez, with the narrative emerging that the Celtics turned down Antetokounmpo because of Gonzalez. That’s not the full story, of course, but that’s the picture most have clung to.
That has put Gonzalez, the 20-year-old 28th pick from the 2025 draft, under the microscope a bit.
Celtics Got Inconsistent Rookie Year From Hugo Gonzalez
And it has not gone all that well. Already, the Celtics’ 6-foot-6 wing has shown he has great feel for the game and instincts–he can handle the ball and pass, and has the makings of a good defender. The Celtics are a good team when he plays. But during summer league, while averaging 18.3 points in three games, Gonzalez shot 31.8% from the field and 25.9% from the 3-point line. He went 3-for-16 from the field and 1-for-9 from the 3-point line in his first game in Las Vegas, and declared it, the “worst shooting game of my life.”
That’s the issue with Gonzalez. He was solid last year in 74 games, shooting 47.4% from the field and 36.2% from the 3-point line, averaging 3.9 points. But he was inconsistent: When he played more than 20 minutes, he shot just 31.3% from the 3-point line, but when he played less, he shot 39.7%.
Hugo Gonzalez Struggled for Spain
Just as Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla did not much trust Gonzalez–yet–in the playoffs, we’re seeing the same from Spanish national team coach Chus Mateo during the ongoing FIBA World Cup qualifiers this week. As the games have gotten more important for the Spanish squad–which has struggled lately–Gonzalez’s minutes are diminishing.
He played only 10:40 in Monday’s overtime loss to Greece, and struggled badly–four points, 1-for-4 shooting, three turnovers, three fouls and a minus-19 in the box score. In two games in the summer installment of the qualifiers, Gonzalez scored seven points on 2-for-8 shooting with six fouls and four turnovers.
The Celtics can, certainly, hope that Gonzalez puts the poor summer showing behind him in a few weeks as training camp gets rolling. There is the perception that they passed on Antetokounmpo to keep Gonzalez, but more important is the reality that the Celtics have had no problem finding serviceable wings. That need Gonzalez to be better than serviceable, sooner rather than later.
Celtics Need to See ‘Separation’
Team president Brad Stevens said after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs that Gonzalez needed to “separate” himself from the other so-so wings on the team.
Said Stevens: “The role questions and when people play and how many people, and that’s what coach has to do, and it is really hard when there is not clear separation. The reality is Hugo had a great rookie year and is, I think, a critical part of us moving forward. Because his athleticism can meet the moment in the big games. That’s a real thing. You can see it, you know it. His strength is off the charts.
“He’s probably the strongest — he’s one of the strongest guys on our team, pound-for-pound, right now, as a 20-year-old. So, he’s got a bright future. That said, he didn’t separate himself from those other guys. So, as a front-office person, I can’t sit here and say one person should have been playing over another, over another. There wasn’t enough separation.”
Celtics Concerns Growing on Hugo Gonzalez Amid Struggles