LOS ANGELES — After Luka Doncic hit a 3-pointer over Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez, the Lakers star had a few words for the rookie. He was smiling and talking trash, though Gonzalez didn’t react too much.
The two know each other because of the Real Madrid connection. Before Doncic was one of the best players in the league, he starred for Real Madrid. Gonzalez was developed as part of the Real Madrid system before coming to the NBA. After the Celtics blew out the Lakers on Sunday, Doncic had some praise for the C’s rookie.
“We all know he’s a very high-effort player,” Doncic said. “He’s all around the court. It’s only his first year. He’ll have time to learn. But I think he’s going to be a very important piece for every team he plays for.”
Gonzalez was picked 28th overall by the Celtics at last year’s draft and he’s already worked his way into the rotation. While the night-to-night consistency isn’t there yet, it’s clear the 20-year-old has the tools to be a successful NBA player.
There are still some areas Gonzalez needs to work on, like fouling too much and rounding out his offensive game. But his defensive instincts pop off the page, and that was the case even in his first few games. Gonzalez has already affected the NBA game in a positive way, projecting well for the future.
Gonzalez was tasked with slowing down Doncic throughout Sunday’s game. The Celtics sent waves of defenders against Doncic. While Doncic got the better of the rookie on a few occasions, Gonzalez’s pesky defense also affected the Lakers star. Doncic finished with 25 points and five rebounds Sunday, though it was on 9-for-22 shooting.
The Celtics have impressed throughout this season, improving to 37-19 after Sunday’s victory. Gonzalez has been an important piece of the operation in his first season. He’s continued to look like a steal at the end of the first round.
“Hugo (Gonzalez) made some big plays for us; Baylor (Scheierman) was amazing,” Jaylen Brown said. “So defense is what we’ve got to continue to elevate our game as well as we elevate on offense.”