Boston Celtics
“I’m not having an excellent reminiscence of this present day, as a result of we misplaced a sport we might have received.”
The Celtics dropped their second sport to start out the 2025-26 season with a 105-95 loss to the Knicks at Madison Sq. Backyard Friday evening.
Nevertheless, rookie guard Hugo Gonzalez was one of many few vivid spots for Boston.
Gonzalez, 19, completed a team-best +7 with six factors on 3-for-6 taking pictures (0-2 from three-point vary), 4 rebounds, one help, and two steals in his NBA debut. The twenty eighth general draft choose earlier this yr performed 23 minutes off the bench to help what was a sloppy beginning lineup for the Celtics.
Talking with reporters after the sport, Gonzalez stated he was completely happy to get his first minutes out of the way in which, however wasn’t completely happy that Boston couldn’t come out with the win.
“It felt good, stepping on the ground was good. However nonetheless, I’m not having an excellent reminiscence of this present day, as a result of we misplaced a sport we might have received,” he stated.
Gonzalez’s defensive effort helped make his debut memorable, a minimum of for Celtics followers, anyway. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Spain native’s two steals contributed to Boston’s complete of 10 on the evening, and had been maybe a part of the delivery of a brand new Celtics playmaker.
Gonzalez, although, stated he wasn’t impressed together with his personal defensive efficiency. Why?
“Jalen Brunson dropped 30 factors in the present day, so it’s not the day to say that I’m an excellent defender, truthfully,” he stated.
“However nonetheless, I attempt to assist [with] my vitality and to (do) no matter Joe [Mazzulla] is asking me to do,” Gonzalez added. “That’s my job proper now, so I’ll do it each time.”
Head coach Mazzulla was happy with Gonzalez’s efficiency on each ends within the participant’s first sport.
“He understands what it takes,” Mazzulla said of Gonzalez. “And I feel he has a transparent understanding of what his position is, and it’s to defend on the highest of ranges and play with the extent of effort on the offensive finish, and he’s ready to do this. There’s issues he wants to scrub up, clearly. I believed he did an excellent job of serving to set that third quarter tone together with his effort and his toughness.”
Mazzulla wasn’t the one individual intrigued by Gonzalez Friday evening. His teammate Jaylen Brown, a 10-year veteran, provided excessive reward and stated himself and the remainder of the group ought to comply with in Gonzalez’s footsteps, energy-wise.
“Hugo is wanting nice, man. Hugo’s taking part in with vitality. He’s taking part in with battle. That’s the kind of mentality we want,” Brown stated. “He’s selecting up guys. I like what I’ve seen in him, and the way he was guarding a number of the different group’s greatest gamers. We want extra of that. We want extra of what Hugo’s acquired. It could actually’t be simply from the rook.”
Get the most recent Boston sports activities information
Obtain updates in your favourite Boston groups, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
