The Celtics are making their first change of the season with their starting lineup on Sunday afternoon against the Pistons. Joe Mazzulla is swapping in rookie Hugo Gonzalez for Sam Hauser as Boston looks for their first win of the season after an 0-2 start in Detroit.
The opportunity for Gonzalez comes one game after his rookie debut at Madison Square Garden. The 19-year-old finished with six points, four rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes in Boston’s 105-95 loss but impressed the coaching staff and his teammates in the defeat.
“He understands what it takes,” Mazzulla told reporters in New York after the loss. “I think he has a clear understanding of what his role is, and it’s to defend at the highest of levels and play with a level of effort on the offensive end. And he’s able to do that. There are things he needs to clean up, obviously, but I thought he did a great job of helping accept that third-quarter tone of his effort and his toughness.”
The Celtics are set to begin a stretch of five games in seven days beginning on Sunday and are likely looking to finding the right mix of lineups between the starting lineup and second unit to balance scoring. Gonzalez brings more defensive intensity to the starting group as well, something that Jaylen Brown was a fan of on Friday night..
“Hugo’s looking great, man,” Brown said Friday, via CLNS Media. “Hugo’s playing with energy, he’s playing with fight. That’s the type of mentality that we need. He’s picking up guys. I like what I’ve seen out of him, how he’s guarding some of the team’s best players. We need more of that. It can’t be just from the rook.”
Gonzalez will have his hands full potentially against a tough Pistons lineup on Sunday including All-Star guard Cade Cunningham.
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