After 74 games of experience in his rookie year, Gonzalez will look to take an expanded role in 2025-26.
The Boston Celtics finished up their portion of the Las Vegas Summer League at 3-2 overall following a difficult loss against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
Now, the Celtics will be off until training camp in September, and we won't see them on the floor in a game setting until preseason play in October.
The regular season will start in late October and the Celtics are coming off a 56-26 season that saw them finish second in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, this year's team will look different following the trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Celtics are still expected to be very good with the full health of Jayson Tatum.
One guy who is expected to take on a bigger role? Hugo Gonzalez, who appeared in 74 games last season as a rookie. The Spain native also played in three of the five Summer League games, scoring 24 points against the Sacramento Kings while serving as the on-court leader for the group.
As relayed by Celtics' reporter Bobby Krivitsky, Summer League head coach Amile Jefferson had some high praise for Gonzalez heading into the rest of the offseason.
“He’s a pro…You saw us last season put him on teams’ five, play him one through five, just whoever the best player is, because he can not only be physical, but he's very mobile. He can move.
“He plays with such high energy and intensity, that for a coach, I think is really helpful to have a guy like that.”
Boston Celtics guard Hugo Gonzalez (28) reacts during warmups prior to a game against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden. Bob DeChiara-Imagn ImagesIn addition to his 74 games as a rookie, Gonzalez also appeared for Spain at the most recent FIBA qualifiers, which puts him on track to appear with the nation at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Spain is traditionally one of the best international teams at the Olympics, so Gonzalez being on that team would be a big deal.
As for his Celtics chances, he'll look to be one of the guys to take over some of the minutes vacated by Brown's departure. Just 20 years old, he's 6-foot-6 and has the ability to help on the perimeter and on the interior, to Jefferson's point.
Elsewhere in the news for the Celtics
Even at 97 years old and decades removed from his playing career, former Celtics star Bob Cousy is still impacting people all over New England.
As noted by the Celtics and the College of Holy Cross, the I-290 bridge over Southbridge Street in Worcester, Mass., will be named "Bob Cousy Pass" moving forward.
Holy Cross is located in Worcester, and that's where Cousy starred in the 1940s. The honor comes with a commemorative stone that shares all of Cousy's accomplishments at both Holy Cross and with the Celtics.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our CELTICS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Celtics fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!


