The Boston Celtics made the decision to draft Hugo Gonzalez in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. They used the 28th overall pick on him, thinking he can help the team right away.
With the Celtics about to be without the services of Jayson Tatum for most of the season, they need more players who can contribute right away. That's the only way they'll be able to make the playoffs.
Gonzalez is a good player who is playing overseas. He is someone who has shown an ability that the Celtics love, and Brad Stevens explained why they took a shot on him.
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Stevens talked about why the Celtics decided to bring him in with their first-round draft pick and how their offense might change with him in it.
“When you’re that age in that situation,” Stevens said, “You’ve gotta earn your stripes. When we went and took our team (to play Real Madrid) years ago in the preseason, we played against a 16-year-old (Luka) Dončić that hardly got in, right? So, Hugo’s a little bit older, and I’m not comparing him to Dončić, but I will say it’s great when you get to play on those teams.”
“And I think that that’s a good thing. When we interviewed Hugo a couple weeks ago on Zoom, it’s really clear that he’s about the team and he accepts and is willing to play any role it takes. That’s not a learned trait for everybody that’s in the draft because most of these guys have never sat. And with that comes a humility and also an understanding that you’ve gotta invest every day just to take advantage of whatever opportunity you get.”
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The Celtics clearly like that Gonzalez plays in one of the best leagues in the world. They also like that he understands that he likely won't play right away.
Stevens is looking for some young guys who can come in and help, while not expecting to do too much. That's exactly what Gonzalez can do for them.
The Celtics are bullish on his opportunity to get some minutes as a rookie. How well he plays in Summer League might determine just how many minutes he sees.
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