The Boston Celtics drafted Hugo Gonzalez with the 28th overall pick on Wednesday night during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. He has been playing in Spain with Real Madrid.
Gonzalez is a 6'6 guard that the Celtics brought in to help with their depth in the backcourt. Now that Jrue Holiday is in Portland, Boston has to figure out who is going to get minutes at the guard spot.
The Celtics think that Gonzalez can play right away and give them some good minutes as a rookie. He has been given a surprising NBA comp since being drafted.
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Following the selection of Gonzalez, Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor compared him to New York Knicks guard Josh Hart.
"Anytime [Hugo] Gonzalez gets minutes, he shows off more handling, creation ability than he does in his really constricted, defined role for Real Madrid."
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Hart is known around the NBA as someone who plays with full effort all of the time. That's how he's able to make an impact on his team. Hart is able to get his team extra possessions because of how hard he plays.
The Celtics need someone like that on their team, although they believe that Gonzalez is a little bit more offensively balanced than Hart is. They think he can shoot a little better.
Gonzalez's size helps him be able to switch across multiple positions on the defensive end of the court. He is able to hold his own against small forwards, although power forwards give him a bit of a problem.
The Celtics would be very happy if they got someone like Hart on their team, if that's what Gonzalez turns into. He's a very good prospect to draft that late in the first round.
More Celtics news:Celtics Land Hugo Gonzalez With 28th Overall Pick in NBA Draft
Boston is going to figure out what Gonzalez has early. It would be surprising if he didn't get significant minutes as a rookie with the Celtics. Next year would be the perfect year for him to develop.
With Jayson Tatum out most of next year with his torn Achilles, it will be the perfect year to develop some young talent. Gonzalez will get plenty of time to go out there and make mistakes.
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