It’s a season of change for the Celtics and Joe Mazzulla amid an offseason roster overhaul. Winning remains a priority for the franchise but development arguably should be a bigger priority right now with Jayson Tatum sidelined indefinitely as he recovers from an Achilles tear.
With few weapons to add to the roster via free agency for the foreseeable future, it’s crucial that Brad Stevens finds out what he has in his lesser known talent. Whether that’s younger free agent additions Josh Minott or Luka Garza or rookie Hugo Gonzalez, it should become evident who could potentially be a long-term contributor on a contender down the line once this season is done.
Mazzulla has played all 13 healthy players on the active amid a 0-2 start and it’s quite evident already that there is one player that Boston should be heavily investing in: Gonzalez.
The 19-year-old did not get a chance to make his NBA debut until Friday night in a 105-95 loss to the Knicks but he was clearly a bright spot in the defeat for the visitors. Gonzalez finished with six points, four rebounds and two steals in his 23 minutes and perhaps most importantly, the Celtics outscored the Knicks by seven points when he was on the court in the double-digit loss.
Mazzulla has done plenty of experimenting with lineups to begin this season, playing all 13 healthy players on the roster at some point in the first two games. However, it was evident from this performance by Gonzalez that the mixing and matching needs to stop with him. He needs to play consistently now, not just for his development but because he’s clearly one of the better wings on the roster right now.
Defensively, he hounded Jalen Brunson and other Knicks guards for much of the time he was on the court, helping to keep New York’s offense in check beyond the 42-point second quarter disaster. Gonzalez can provide ball pressure, fights hard for rebounds and looks like someone who knows his role offensively already.
He played so well defensively in this game, it’s fair to wonder whether he would have made a difference in Wednesday’s loss to the Sixers. Philadelphia’s starting backcourt erupted for 76 combined points with Gonzalez watching from the bench.
Mazzulla will continue to mix and match elsewhere with his lineup combinations in hopes of finding some success but the experimentation must include Gonzalez coming off the bench now. The second half of Friday’s loss was a strong step in that direction but it must continue as the Celtics try to find success in the present and the future.
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