It’s the preseason. I get it.

But you can’t have watched what happened at FedExForum on Wednesday night and not come away at least a little bit encouraged about what you saw from the Celtics, as they throttled the Grizzlies 121-103 in a game that showcased their much-discussed faster pace offense.

Young guys balled out, veterans showed why they’re probably overqualified to even appear in a preseason game, and Boston looked energized to be playing competitive basketball together again after a disappointing end to the 2024-25 season last May.

Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday’s preseason debut for the Celtics:

1. Hugo!

I want to fast forward all the way to the third quarter, where rookie Hugo Gonzalez produced the highlight of the night.

Give this a watch:

The transition defense.

Immediately getting his head up to be ready as a transition scorer.

Beating the defender in transition for a sick one-handed dunk, getting just past the trailer for a play that’s going to get Celtics fans overly excited for what this kid will be able to contribute during his rookie campaign.

It was, as the kids say, sick.

It’s the preseason. I get it.

But at 6-foot-6 and only 19 years old, Gonzalez is someone with insane upside as he already profiles as one of the best athletes on the team - as evidenced by his 3 blocks on defense.

Unlike most rookies, the 2025 first round pick comes to the NBA having already played four seasons of professional basketball, as he was a contributing member for Real Madrid in Spain at the age of 16 years old back in 2022. He eventually developed into a champion, helping Madrid win two consecutive Liga ACB championships in 2024 and 2025.

The NBA is a different animal. But coming in with all that experience is only going to help that difficult transition be that much easier.

And as he joins an organization in transition, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to make his mark in year one.

Fascinated to see how he continues to play as the preseason rolls along.

2. Celtics stars looked like stars

If you told me both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White sat out the entire preseason, I would not bat an eye - especially with Brown undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this offseason.

Instead, both players started on Wednesday night, and looked like guys that shouldn’t be playing in preseason action.

White played 27 minutes, and recorded the first point-assist preseason double-double for a Celtic since Kyrie Irving (ugh) in 2017. His 16 points and 11 assists helped power a team-high +22 for the nine-year pro.

Brown played 20 minutes, dropping 21 points while shooting 50% from three on six attempts. He went 6 for 13 from the floor, 6 for 8 from the free throw line, and was a +15 on the night.

These two champions helped build a 20-plus-point lead, setting the tone for the rest of the team on a night where everyone ate.

Three players that profile as rotation guys for the regular season did not play on Wednesday, as Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons were listed as “DNP, Coach’s Decision.”

But for the two key rotation players we saw on Wednesday night, it was business as usual.

3. Newcomers in the front court showed promise

With Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet all playing elsewhere in 2025-26, we knew the frontcourt for the Celtics was going to look drastically different this year.

It might sound crazy to say, but someone like Queta is almost certainly going to be your starting center despite only averaging 12.2 minutes per game in his career.

But with the 26-year-old out of the mix for Wednesday night, we got a good look at the likes of Chris Boucher and Luka Garza.

Boucher played with great energy, accounting for a +16 in 20 minutes of action on the night as the team’s starting center. At 6-foot-9, Boucher comes to Boston as a two-time champion in his own right (2018 & 2019). There’s a possibility the 32-year-old ends up being a regular starter at power forward with his ability to guard multiple positions.

In 16 minutes of action, Garza was a +10, dropping 10 points and grabbing 10 boards. He looked like a big man that has the ability to fit within the fast-paced style head coach Joe Mazzulla wants to play with this season, showing a high-level ability as a screener on Wednesday.

Those types of little things are going to help a guy like Garza work his way into the rotation.

Celtics preseason gets back underway on Friday night in Toronto.

Tip-off against the Raptors is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.