It did not take long for Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez to make an impression with his new team after his NBA regular season debut on Friday night. Joe Mazzulla gave the 19-year-old the starting nod in the Celtics’ 119-113 loss to the Pistons on Sunday, giving him the assignment of hounding All-Star Cade Cunningham and other Pistons ball handlers.
Gonzalez held his own all night against Cunningham when matched up head-to-head, limiting the star guard to just three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field, according to NBA.com tracking data. Cunningham finished with 25 points in the victory, but Gonzalez made life difficult for Cunningham with his ball pressure, energy, and physicality over 18 minutes.
The performance earned strong reviews from Gonzalez’ teammates after Boston’s third straight loss.
“I like Hugo,” Jaylen Brown told reporters in Detroit via NBC Sports Boston. “I like Hugo’s mentality. I like how he comes out; he’s ready to go. He knows his role. And he can play. So, we’re gonna need more of that. He’s gonna continue to learn as he gets better, as he grows, but that’s what we need.”
“I thought he’s provided great energy,” Payton Pritchard added. “Defensively, battling great guards, and he’s providing a spark for us. He’s been great.”
With Boston struggling on both ends of the floor (22nd in offensive and defensive efficiency) through three games, it will be fascinating to see how Joe Mazzulla uses Gonzalez moving forward. His presence with the starters takes some onus off Brown and Derrick White to match up against primary creators, potentially preserving their energy on the offensive end. However, Gonzalez is not providing much on the offensive end just yet, as he went scoreless in his 18 minutes on Sunday.
Whether or not Gonzalez stays in the starting lineup moving forward, he added to his case for rotation minutes on Sunday, even in defeat. Boston is allowing just 100 points per 100 possessions with Gonzalez on the floor this season, the second lowest mark for any player on the roster.
“At the end of the day, just continuing to build that defensive mindset,” Mazzulla said Sunday. “Give us what we need defensively. So, he did a great job of that tonight. He’s able to get through screens, and he can kind of give D. White, and Payton, and Jaylen a little break on the on-ball stuff there, and have him do it. So, it was good that he was able to do that. He’s going to continue to develop that mentality.”
Gonzalez and the Celtics wrap up their road trip on Monday night in New Orleans searching for their first win of the season.
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