The Boston Celtics continue to exceed expectations as they defeated the Indiana Pacers on Monday night for their third straight victory to cement their third-place spot in the Eastern Conference. The unsung hero of the win was standout rookie Hugo Gonzalez.
The 19-year-old Spaniard played a team-high 37 minutes and put up six points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and two blocks on his way to a game-best plus-21. With each passing day, it's becoming more and more obvious that the Celtics need to insert Gonzalez into the starting lineup.
During Boston's current win streak, Gonzalez has played a total of 94 minutes, and the Celtics have won these minutes by a whopping 80 points. This has been a trend all season. Gonzalez is impacting winning in a big way. In fact, he currently leads the Celtics in on/off rating as they are 21.6 points per 100 possessions better with him playing than when he is on the bench, per [_Cleaning the Glass_](https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/2/onoff#tab-team_efficiency). Only two players in the entire NBA have a better on/off rating than Gonzalez.
Now, it's time for the Celtics to reward him with the playing time that he deserves.
Celtics' Hugo Gonzalez Has Earned a Starting Spot
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The Celtics obviously have to give their rookie as many minutes as he can handle.
The best way to do that is by starting him. Especially since Gonzalez plays with a ton of energy and intensity, having him play in multiple, shorter stints in each half rather than having him come in at the six-minute mark and play the entire rest of the half would make more sense. Plus, the Celtics use Gonzalez as their point-of-attack defender and one of their top perimeter stoppers. If he shares the floor more with the Celtics' stars, that will ease their defensive burden a little.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has been switching [the fifth player in his starting lineup all season](https://chowderandchampions.com/time-running-out-celtics-baylor-scheierman-01kcq5t7m2ve); Jordan Walsh, Josh Minott, and Sam Hauser all getting a chance to start. Gonzalez has earned a spot in the starting lineup through his effort and by doing a little bit of everything that contributes to winning.
Gonzalez is a work in progress offensively. His usage rate is minuscule, and he is rarely involved. But he makes enough shots, gets enough offensive rebounds, and finds opportunities in transition to be a positive player on that end of the floor. Considering that he is a 19-year-old who was a late first-round pick, the Celtics couldn't ask for any more than what they have been getting from Gonzalez. It looks like de facto general manager Brad Stevens has found another diamond in the rough.
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