Celtics Rookie Lands Among Summer League ‘Disappointments’

An unnamed member of the Boston Celtics coaching staff recently claimed that rookie first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez was going to get “real minutes” during the 2025-26 season.

While Gonzalez did show glimpses of promise in the NBA Summer League, not everyone was impressed.

Senior NBA writer John Hollinger of The Athletic revealed his “NBA Summer League disappointments” on Friday morning and the 19-year-old Spaniard appeared on the list.

“The questions about his skill level didn’t exactly vanish with his play in Vegas,” Hollinger wrote. “González repeatedly lost his handle, including one notable turnover when he took a single dribble from a standstill and simultaneously had the ball picked and committed a clear path foul. He finished summer league with as many turnovers (13) as baskets and, in addition to shaky perimeter shooting, only shot 6 of 20 inside the arc.”

The veteran reporter did add that he wanted to show Gonzalez “some grace,” keeping in mind that he had just finished his EuroLeague season before joining his new teammates in Las Vegas.

Gonzalez did receive positive feedback from numerous players and coaches, including 24-year-old shooting guard Isaiah Wong, who praised the 28th overall pick for being an “NBA player right now.”

The former Real Madrid star scored eight points on just 2-for-8 shooting (1-for-7 on three-pointers) with two rebounds, two turnovers and one assist in 20 minutes during the Celtics’ Summer League finale against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Gonzalez did, however, record a plus-22 in the 101-80 victory, which was second-best of all players, trailing only Wong’s plus-28.