LAS VEGAS — Hugo Gonzalez turned some heads in Las Vegas this weekend with a strong debut for the Celtics in their Summer League opening matchup against the Grizzlies. It was unclear whether Gonzalez would suit up and play for Boston in Summer League after the team drafted him at No. 28 overall last month, coming off his season with Real Madrid.
Gonzalez played a team-high 28 minutes for Boston on Friday but more rest is in the cards for the 19-year-old amid a busy upcoming schedule for Boston.
“He’ll sit one of the next two,” Brad Stevens said Saturday as the Celtics practiced at Cox Pavilion. “I don’t know which one. But we’ll do some of that with him, because generally with a 19-year-old you just throw him to the wolves and let it fly. But coming from Madrid and just finishing (his season) is quite a lot to ask.”
Gonzalez held his own in his Boston debut, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, five assists, a steal, two blocks and three turnovers. Gonzalez also knocked down three 3s in the victory but there’s a lot of room for growth for the 6-foot-7 wing according to Stevens even after the impressive start.
“I think he really wants to be good,” Stevens said. “You can tell he’s got a good work ethic, a good compete level. There’s a care factor there, and you know he’s just learning. His head was spinning in the first half. There were a couple of times when he was looking one way and the guy was three steps behind him cutting the other way, so he had a good day, but he can do a lot of things better.
“He’ll get that quick, but having five days of practice right after your season ends in the ACB is probably not ideal for this.”
The Celtics play back-to-back games against the Knicks and Heat on Sunday and Monday before facing off against Bronny James and the Lakers Thursday night.
With plenty of depth at wing on the Celtics Summer League roster, Stevens wants to ensure the team doesn’t overwork their first-round pick who plays with a high motor.
“We told him to take a long weekend and come to Boston a couple days later and he got there two days after he was drafted,” Stevens said. “So he’s gonna be due for a rest here after summer league’s over. So we’ll manage that appropriately. He plays really hard. I thought the first two practices he was gassed and I thought yesterday at the end of the game he was gassed.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.